Internet search giant Google has promised to release figures detailing the numbers of minorities it hires in the US after protests began outside its headquarters in Mountain View, California, led by Rev Jesse Jackson.
The decision to protest yesterday the lack of minorities in boardrooms and in executive roles in Silicon Valley companies had been made to coincide with Google’s annual shareholder meeting.
The protest also rallied against Google’s ties with the more conservative financial and business elements of the US, including the Chamber of Commerce and the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), which came under criticism for environmental policies, particularly those that attempted to challenge any rulings on the topic.
While Google’s chairperson Eric Schmidt addressed protesters’ concerns and said he would consider them, the rest of the board was reportedly adamant it was not going to reveal all its details about its investments and financial backers.
Some of the banners on display at the protest played off Google’s slogan ‘Don’t be evil’, with the #Don’tFundEvil, while others threatened they would switch to Microsoft’s search engine Bing instead of Google.
Addressing the crowd, Jackson spoke of the need for more minorities from all backgrounds at Google.
“If Google searches for qualified minority candidates, you can find them. Inclusion leads to growth, and when there’s growth, everybody wins.”
Google has now promised to release its diversity report in the coming month.
Google diversity image via Shutterstock
