Margaret Mitchell, co-leader of Google’s Ethical AI team, says the company fired her after an investigation into the use of corporate email.
Why does it matter: Google was already under pressure for firing Timnit Gebru, the other co-leader on the team. Mitchell has been blocked in corporate e-mail since last month, after what a source said was his effort to search corporate correspondence for evidence to support Gebru’s allegation of discrimination and harassment.
The move came on the same day that Google announced internally that it had completed its investigation into Gebru’s departure, as Axios first reported. The company did not disclose the results of that investigation, but did announce a series of policy changes, including linking company-wide executive pay to diversity and inclusion efforts.
Between the lines: Mitchell too tweeted critical of the way Google handled Gebru and a subsequent meeting between CEO Sundar Pichai and historically black college and university leaders.
“Let’s say you have a problem with the consistent alienation of black women and have caused serious damage to their lives. You could: A) try to undo that damage B) try to find more black people who like you (the symbolic approach). Good luck. …. “
– Margaret Mitchell, in a January post on Twitter
What are they saying:
- Mitchell, on twitter: “I was fired.”
- Google, in a statement to Axios: “After conducting an analysis of this manager’s conduct, we confirmed that there were several violations of our code of conduct, as well as our security policies, which included the exfiltration of confidential business documents and private data from other employees.”
Go deeper: Google adjusts diversity, search policies after survey