Overview:
Some Silicon Valley employees say their politics are unwelcome in an industry dominated by liberal views.
Political tensions flared in August when Google fired engineer James Damore for writing a memo saying that the search giant’s gender gap could be explained partly by biological differences, not sexism. He also accused Google of being an “ideological echo chamber.”
Harmeet Dhillon, the lawyer representing Mr. Damore, said Silicon Valley has been unwelcoming to conservatives for a long time. But since the election, people with liberal bias have shown “more open contempt for other viewpoints,” she said. Google employees have told her they have been denied promotions or otherwise punished for their “perceived political views,” she added.
Google said Mr. Damore was fired for violating its policies on harassment and discrimination.
