Google has agreed to pay $50 million to settle a 2022 class-action lawsuit brought by Black employees who accused the tech giant of systemic racial disparities in hiring, pay, and career advancement. The legal action alleged a "pattern and practice" of unfair treatment against Black workers.
Lawsuit Allegations
The lawsuit, initiated by former Google employee April Curley, claimed that Black employees were steered into lower-level and lower-paid positions and faced a hostile work environment when speaking out. Other former employees later joined the case, which gained class action status.
The complaint asserted that Mountain View, California-based Google viewed Black job candidates "through harmful racial stereotypes" and that hiring managers deemed Black candidates "not 'Googly' enough, a plain dog whistle for race discrimination." Interviewers allegedly "hazed" and undermined Black candidates, hiring them into roles with less advancement potential based on race.
Settlement Terms
The settlement, which does not constitute an admission of liability by Google, includes a $50 million payout. Additionally, Google has committed to conducting pay equity analyses, enhancing pay transparency measures, and limiting mandatory arbitration for employment-related disputes through at least August 2026.
Civil rights attorney Ben Crump, who represented the plaintiffs, stated: "This case is about accountability, plain and simple. For far too long, Black employees in the tech industry have faced barriers that limit opportunity. This settlement is a significant step toward holding one of the world’s most powerful companies accountable and making clear that discriminatory practices cannot and will not be tolerated."
Background
The lawsuit echoed years of complaints from Black employees at Google, including prominent artificial intelligence scholar Timnit Gebru, who said she was pushed out in 2020 after a dispute over a research paper examining the societal dangers of an emerging branch of artificial intelligence.
Google did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Friday.
