Leaked Google Audio Reveals Employees Lashing Out over Canceled Talk on ‘Caste Bias’

Recently leaked audio shows Google employees grilling executives over the cancelation of an employee-organized event about caste bias in April. Caste bias is the mistreatment of people based on their caste — the social hierarchy of India.

Business Insider reports that in April, Google executives canceled an employee-organized event discussing caste bias a the company, claiming that it was “actually pulling employees apart,” according to the firm’s top diversity officer. Employees were quick to lash out at executives during a recent all-hands meeting, demanding answers about caste discrimination and why the anti-bias talk was shut down.

The meeting was confirmed by three people present and an audio recording seen by Business Insider. The situation became so volatile that Tanuja Gupta, the organizer of the event and a senior manager at Google News, announced in an email that she was quitting the company due to its reaction to the event.

Gupta invited Equality Labs’ Executive Director Thenmozhi Soundararajan, who advocates for Dalits — the members of the lowest-ranked Indian caste — to give a talk during Dalit History Month in April. Google canceled the events following complaints by some employees who accused Soundararajan of being “Hindu-phobic.”

Many employees across the company were upset by this, with one top-voted question during the meeting asking if Google wanted to alter more diversity initiates to “not cause others discomfort” following the cancelation of the anti-bias event.

Google Chief Diversity Officer Melonie Parker responded to a question about how employees could discuss discrimination at Google without retaliation that it was a “really difficult situation,” and that the company was “deeply opposed” to caste discrimination, adding that it “has no place here or anywhere.”

“In this case, it was clear that a talk that was organized by a Googler was actually pulling employees apart,” Parker added. “And in fact, a large group of employees felt that they were being vilified. And this resulted in a lot of internal concern, heated threads, as well as escalations.”

“And on top of that, as the issue unfolded, there was specific conduct, internal posts that made employees feel targeted and retaliated against for raising concerns about the proposed talk.”

Caste discrimination is a real issue & Google must take action to establish caste-equity in the workplace.

We stand with Thenmozhi Soundararajan, Tanuja Gupta & all those who experience and speak out against caste-based oppression. https://t.co/s5Qw6WaqBa

— Alphabet Workers Union (AWU-CWA) (@AlphabetWorkers) June 3, 2022

Google CEO Sundar Pichai added that the company needs to take into account “all types of issues people face, and we should strive to make a difference in all of the areas, including caste discrimination” as part of its equality work.

Read more at Business Insider here.

Lucas Nolan is a reporter for Breitbart News covering issues of free speech and online censorship. Follow him on Twitter @LucasNolan or contact via secure email at the address lucasnolan@protonmail.com