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I am not surprised that this happened but a little dismayed. While we all advocate free speech we punish those who exercise free speech. Sometimes it is not w

I am not surprised that this happened but a little dismayed. While we all advocate free speech we punish those who exercise free speech. Sometimes it is not what we say but the manner in which we distribute our message. Maybe that was the unpardonable sin....posting it through the Google systems. I do not in any way agree with the content of the engineer in question but I will always advocate for his right to free speech. I wonder if Google would have fired a female engineer for taking the same actions or for writing a paper stating that Google was not taking enough steps toward diversity in their workforce.

woah 9y ago
Just because something is protected as free speech under the constitution doesn't mean that you won't get fired for it. If you went around saying "my boss is an an idiot and all my coworkers are incompetent", you might get fired. Would this be a violation of your constitutional rights? Really, this point is unbelievably obvious. Do you also go around crusading for the rights of foul mouthed mechanics and surly waiters who get fired for their speech?
- alexanderstears 9y ago
  But there are things that are permissible and impermissible for companies to consider when making employment decisions. It's safer to fire someone for talking back to their manager than it is to fire someone for having dark skin. Free speech isn't the right lens to view this. In the state of California, companies can't discriminate against employees on the basis of political views or political activities. I bet two things - one, that this guy can probably make the case that Google discriminated against him and two, google can afford the fine/judgement/settlement. Is that the message we want to send? That companies can discriminate against protected classes to the extent they can afford the consequence.

woah 9y ago

Just because something is protected as free speech under the constitution doesn't mean that you won't get fired for it. If you went around saying "my boss is an an idiot and all my coworkers are incompetent", you might get fired. Would this be a violation of your constitutional rights? Really, this point is unbelievably obvious. Do you also go around crusading for the rights of foul mouthed mechanics and surly waiters who get fired for their speech?

alexanderstears 9y ago
But there are things that are permissible and impermissible for companies to consider when making employment decisions. It's safer to fire someone for talking back to their manager than it is to fire someone for having dark skin. Free speech isn't the right lens to view this. In the state of California, companies can't discriminate against employees on the basis of political views or political activities. I bet two things - one, that this guy can probably make the case that Google discriminated against him and two, google can afford the fine/judgement/settlement. Is that the message we want to send? That companies can discriminate against protected classes to the extent they can afford the consequence.