A former Google executive has filed a lawsuit against the company, claiming she was not promoted because she was black and repeatedly faced “thinly veiled racist comments », notably a taunt about the death of George Floyd.
Tiffany Minott, 40, sued the company in New York, alleging multiple civil rights violations and saying Google “systematically undervalues and undercompensates Black employees.”
Minott, a former project manager who joined Google in September 2019, also claims in the complaint that she complained to HR about the “racist” treatment, but was told after an investigation that it did not There was “no problem”.
She said the behavior she encountered at Google caused her to suffer from depression and anxiety, leading to a period of about four months off work. Minott was ultimately fired in January 2023.
“Google systematically underestimates and undercompensates Black employees who perform tasks requiring the same skills, effort and responsibilities as their White counterparts,” according to the complaint.
Tiffany Minott sued Google for being the victim of racist treatment by her colleagues and for “undervaluing and undercompensating black employees.”
Minott alleged that co-worker Casey Schmidt (pictured) once told her that a problem she was facing at work was “probably because of the whole George Floyd thing.”
The suit claims that Minott, who worked in Google’s cloud services division, “performed exceptionally” throughout his employment and “exceeded all expectations” set by the company.
But she said her work was repeatedly underappreciated while similar performances from white colleagues were rewarded.
A Google spokesperson told DailyMail.com: “We have strict anti-discrimination policies and thoroughly investigate all reported concerns. We work hard to create an environment where everyone is valued and can succeed.
After Minott joined the company, she initially reported to Alexandra Schwartzer, a white process manager, and received frequent praise for her work, according to the suit. In April 2020, Ben Martin, a white man, took over as CEO of Minott.
As a result of the change, Google “repeatedly failed to evaluate Minott fairly and to the same standards as its similarly situated non-Black peers,” the complaint alleges.
“What followed was an intentional pattern of discrimination that negatively impacted Minott’s career and compensation at Google.”
Minott alleges that under Martin’s leadership, a white co-worker, Casey Schmidt, once told her that the problems she was facing accessing work-related tools were “probably because of whatever was going on with George Floyd” .
Martin allegedly participated in the conversation — which took place about a month after Floyd’s killing — by responding “that sucks,” but failing to offer a solution to the problem.
Martin is accused throughout the complaint of treating Minott differently from his “white counterparts” and of having “racial prejudice.”
Tiffany Minott, 40, sued Google in New York on Tuesday, alleging multiple civil rights violations and saying Google “systematically undervalues and undercompensates Black employees.”
He allegedly passed over Minott for a promotion to a newly created position, which would have resulted in a $50,000 pay increase, in favor of a less suitable white man with “no prior experience working on the products or services Google “.
Comparing her experience with the chosen candidate, “it was clear that Google had denied her the promotion based on her race and in retaliation for her request for short-term disability leave,” it is claimed.
Minott claims the alleged behavior caused her anxiety and depression “directly attributable” to Google’s “illegal behavior and exacerbated by the discrimination she faced at work.”
She requested medical leave in December 2020, but “rather than allowing her to adequately recover from her health issues, (Google) began subjecting her to increased race-based discrimination and retaliation for his application for short-term disability. leave,” the lawsuit claims.
Minott took several months off work for mental health reasons and returned in April 2021. She says she then had to complete “four months of work in two weeks.”
In May 2021, Minott moved from Martin’s team to the Google Systems department, reporting to Stacey Choi-Dunn, who is Asian, and Katie Richardson-Ball, who is white.
“Like Mr. Martin, Minott’s new managers continued to discriminate against her by subjecting her to higher performance standards and a disproportionate workload based on her race and in retaliation for taking medically necessary leave,” the lawsuit claims.
The suit lists several instances where Minott was allegedly subjected to “thinly veiled racist comments” during her work on the Google Services team.
They are said to include: “you are articulate”; “you don’t look impressed…you’re probably multitasking”; “I understand that you don’t want to work hard”; and “DEI activities constitute reverse discrimination against white men.”
A white colleague, Dan Hare, a technical account specialist, was also quoted as saying, “I was hired for diversity at my last job. »
“These comments focused on the company’s tone, appearance and diversity efforts, reflecting an environment intolerant of the presence of black employees,” the suit adds.
This lawsuit follows several other lawsuits filed against Google over its alleged mistreatment of black employees. In March 2022, April Curley (pictured), a former diversity recruiter at the company, claimed the company engaged in “intentional racial discrimination.”
Curley is a former corporate diversity recruiter
Minott said she complained repeatedly to HR about her treatment, but her concerns were “dismissed.”
“(Google) has simply refused to recognize or ameliorate discrimination, including racist performance reviews that impact the compensation and career trajectories of Black employees,” according to the complaint.
This complaint follows several other complaints filed against Google in recent years, which alleged that the company discriminated against its black employees by offering them lower salaries and fewer promotions.
A black, deaf Google employee filed a lawsuit in California in December, alleging she was discriminated against because of her race and disability. Jalon Hall, the plaintiff, claims she was discriminated against when the company publicly used her to promote its diversity credentials.
In March 2022, April Curley, a former diversity recruiter at the company, alleged that the company was “engaged in a nationwide pattern or practice of intentional racial discrimination and retaliation.”
The company’s diversity report for 2022 showed that 5.3% of its workforce was black, compared to 48.3% white and 43.2% Asian. The proportion of blacks in management positions was 4.7 percent.
Minott’s lawsuit adds: “Google’s actions indicate a disturbing pattern and practice of discrimination against Black employees in performance reviews, promotion opportunities, and compensation.”
“Plaintiff continued to suffer from this pattern of discrimination until she was terminated due to an alleged downsizing in January 2023.”