Margaret Mitchell, co-leader of Google’s AI ethics team, says the company fired her following an investigation into the use of corporate email.
Why does it matter: Google has already been under fire for the elimination of Timnit Gebru, the other co-leader of the team. Mitchell was blocked from her corporate email last month after a source said it was her effort to search for corporate correspondence to obtain evidence to support Gebru’s claim of discrimination and harassment.
The move comes on the same day that Google announced internally that it has completed its investigation into Gebru’s exit, as reported by Axios for the first time. The company did not disclose the findings of that investigation, but announced a number of policy changes, including linking company-level pay to diversity and inclusion efforts.
Between the lines: Mitchell, too posted a tweet critique of how Google manages Gebru and a subsequent meeting between CEO Sundar Pichai and the historical leaders of black colleges and universities.
“You say that you have a problem with the constant alienation of black women and that you have caused serious damage in their lives. You could: A) try to undo that damage B) try to find more blacks you like (token approach). Good luck. …. “
– Margaret Mitchell, in a January Twitter post
What are they saying:
- Mitchell, on Twitter: “I’m fired”.
- Google, in a statement to Axios: “After reviewing this manager’s conduct, we confirmed that there were several violations of our code of conduct as well as our security policies, which included leaking sensitive business sensitive documents and other employees’ private data.”
Go deeper: Google changes diversity, research policies following the survey