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 b

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.