James Damore's Google firing (2017)
Google engineer James Damore circulated an internal memo arguing that biological differences help explain gender gaps in the technology industry. The memo leaked to the press, went viral, and Google fired Damore days later, saying the memo promoted harmful gender stereotypes.
Damore filed a complaint with the National Labor Relations Board, then attempted class-action arbitration against Google. He dropped both efforts in 2021.
The firing became a defining moment in workplace culture wars, with critics on the right citing it as evidence that tech companies punish dissenting viewpoints.
Like the WOOD-TV Pride Month memo, an internal document about a culturally sensitive topic leaked and led to termination. The WOOD-TV case produced a legal consequence — a jury verdict for the employees — that Damore's case did not.