Former Google Employee Makes Shocking Allegations, Says 'Did Not Get Promotion Due To Skin Colour'

Image Credit: Twitter/Shaun Maguire

New Delhi: A former Google employee, Shaun Maguire, recently took to social media platform X (formerly known as Twitter) to claim that he was denied a promotion at the tech giant because of his race and gender.

Allegations Of Discrimination

According to reports from the New York Post, Maguire, who worked at Google's Mountain View headquarters from 2016 to 2019, made these allegations following an incident referred to as the "Gemini fiasco." He stated that his denial of promotion was due to being a white man. ()

Public Poll And Response

Prompted by a poll on December 16, 2023, Maguire decided to make his allegations public. A significant majority, 91 percent, of voters supported his decision to share his story. ()

Should I go public with the story about the time I was told I can’t be promoted for being a white man? — Shaun Maguire (@shaunmmaguire) December 16, 2023

Elon Musk, owner of the platform, responded to Maguire's claims, noting that such instances of discrimination appeared to be widespread in recent years.

This is incredibly widespread in recent years — Elon Musk (@elonmusk) December 16, 2023

Revelation Goes Viral

Over a month after the poll, Maguire revealed his experiences publicly. His posts quickly gained traction on social media, garnering over 10.3 million views on X.

In his posts, Maguire criticized Google, describing the company as "an absolute trash can dumpster fire." He mentioned that Google denied the allegations and expressed disappointment that the company had not reached out to hear his side of the story.

Calls For Change

Despite his posts' attention, Maguire stated that he did not seek compensation but rather urged Google to address the issues, especially as it continues to lead in AI technology.

Google is denying this happened but nobody from the company has reached out to me for my side of the story

Honestly, pathetic

I don’t want any compensation

I just want you to fix these problems, especially if you’re going to lead in AI https://t.co/0I7bmWmPIu — Shaun Maguire (@shaunmmaguire) February 24, 2024

He shared a quote attributed to a Google official who allegedly told him, "I can't promote you right now because I have a quota. My hands are tied." This quote, according to Maguire, exemplified the discrimination he faced.

FYI this was just my teaser story… not even close to the worst of it https://t.co/MGCh5qZLYC — Shaun Maguire (@shaunmmaguire) February 23, 2024

Reactions

Elon Musk echoed Maguire's sentiments, stating that he had heard similar stories numerous times before. Maguire mentioned that several former Google colleagues reached out to him with similar experiences and evidence. His posts have sparked reactions from other former Google employees on X.