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Interesting, somehow I don’t think how companies where run in the 1950-1960 translates to today Look at the google ML firing/resigning storm, in the 50s someon

Interesting, somehow I don’t think how companies where run in the 1950-1960 translates to today Look at the google ML firing/resigning storm, in the 50s someone fired end of story not the CEO saying they will investigate (honesty transparency aside)

economusty 6y ago
"Firing/resigning" which is it, two different events there.
- dragonwriter 6y ago
  > “Firing/resigning” which is it, two different events there. Which of those is the case is hotly debated. The legal concept of “constructive termination” recognizes that detailed inquiry into the history leading up to the end of employment may be necessary to distinguish those two things, and in this case its even debated whether it was firing or resignation in the superficial sense, as well as being debated as to whether it was constructive termination even if superficially resignation.
ineedasername 6y ago
In the 1950's without modern media, social networks, etc., it was a lot easier to sweep some scandal or other major bit of unpleasantness under the rug.
IfOnlyYouKnew 6y ago
Aside from this being a somewhat strange example to bring up, it's not true. See, for example, http://online.ceb.com/CalCases/CA2/174CA2d184.htm http://online.ceb.com/CalCases/CA2/174CA2d184.htm, a Supreme Court case concerning wrongful termination from 1959.
- zaphirplane 6y ago
  Not clear on what you are trying to say, the point I am making is today companies bow to public opinion, and the actions of companies spread fast
core-questions 6y ago
They're not really going to investigate. Then as now, people say what they have to, and then wait for it to go down the memory hole.
na85 6y ago
>Interesting, somehow I don’t think how companies where run in the 1950-1960 translates to today In some ways maybe. In the 50s your wife stayed home to work while you worked a blue-collar job, probably having only a high school diploma (if that), and your blue-collar job supported a family of 2.1 kids, your wife, Rex the dog, a car, and a mortgage in the suburbs. Oh and it probably came with a pension. Everyone smoked indoors. Companies felt obliged to look after their (male) workers and sexual harassment of female employees was routine and casual racism was baked-in to the culture. Over the years CEO pay has risen something like 1000% and worker pay less than 20%. Now companies spy on their workers and engage in union-busting while paying their workers a pittance such that even a person working two minimum wage full-time jobs is barely able to sustain a family in the USA and Canada. We don't smoke indoors any more. Sexual harassment of female employees is still routine and casual racism is institutionalized but perhaps less overt today. I guess society can pride itself of the smoking thing but we've either made no progress or regressed in a lot of ways. >someone fired end of story Take off your rose-coloured glasses.
- ericmay 6y ago
  > Sexual harassment of female employees is still routine and casual racism is institutionalized but perhaps less overt today. Please define what you mean by routine here. Can you expand on what you mean by “casual racism is institutionalized but perhaps less overt”?
  - na85 6y ago
    >Please define what you mean by routine here. I mean that women still routinely experience sexual harassment in the workplace. >Can you expand on what you mean by “casual racism is institutionalized but perhaps less overt”? I mean that while you might not have a bunch of people throwing the word nigger around the boardroom as one might have in yesteryear, racism is still alive and well in many policies today
tfehring 6y ago
In the 50s Google would have been unionized and firing would have been harder, not easier, than it is today, all else being equal.

economusty 6y ago

"Firing/resigning" which is it, two different events there.

dragonwriter 6y ago
> “Firing/resigning” which is it, two different events there. Which of those is the case is hotly debated. The legal concept of “constructive termination” recognizes that detailed inquiry into the history leading up to the end of employment may be necessary to distinguish those two things, and in this case its even debated whether it was firing or resignation in the superficial sense, as well as being debated as to whether it was constructive termination even if superficially resignation.

ineedasername 6y ago

In the 1950's without modern media, social networks, etc., it was a lot easier to sweep some scandal or other major bit of unpleasantness under the rug.

IfOnlyYouKnew 6y ago

Aside from this being a somewhat strange example to bring up, it's not true. See, for example, http://online.ceb.com/CalCases/CA2/174CA2d184.htm http://online.ceb.com/CalCases/CA2/174CA2d184.htm, a Supreme Court case concerning wrongful termination from 1959.

zaphirplane 6y ago
Not clear on what you are trying to say, the point I am making is today companies bow to public opinion, and the actions of companies spread fast

core-questions 6y ago

They're not really going to investigate. Then as now, people say what they have to, and then wait for it to go down the memory hole.

na85 6y ago

>Interesting, somehow I don’t think how companies where run in the 1950-1960 translates to today In some ways maybe. In the 50s your wife stayed home to work while you worked a blue-collar job, probably having only a high school diploma (if that), and your blue-collar job supported a family of 2.1 kids, your wife, Rex the dog, a car, and a mortgage in the suburbs. Oh and it probably came with a pension. Everyone smoked indoors. Companies felt obliged to look after their (male) workers and sexual harassment of female employees was routine and casual racism was baked-in to the culture. Over the years CEO pay has risen something like 1000% and worker pay less than 20%. Now companies spy on their workers and engage in union-busting while paying their workers a pittance such that even a person working two minimum wage full-time jobs is barely able to sustain a family in the USA and Canada. We don't smoke indoors any more. Sexual harassment of female employees is still routine and casual racism is institutionalized but perhaps less overt today. I guess society can pride itself of the smoking thing but we've either made no progress or regressed in a lot of ways. >someone fired end of story Take off your rose-coloured glasses.

ericmay 6y ago
> Sexual harassment of female employees is still routine and casual racism is institutionalized but perhaps less overt today. Please define what you mean by routine here. Can you expand on what you mean by “casual racism is institutionalized but perhaps less overt”?
- na85 6y ago
  >Please define what you mean by routine here. I mean that women still routinely experience sexual harassment in the workplace. >Can you expand on what you mean by “casual racism is institutionalized but perhaps less overt”? I mean that while you might not have a bunch of people throwing the word nigger around the boardroom as one might have in yesteryear, racism is still alive and well in many policies today

tfehring 6y ago

In the 50s Google would have been unionized and firing would have been harder, not easier, than it is today, all else being equal.