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#16: Flap My Elbows

August 10th, 2017 · 51 minutes

This week we discuss the sexist Google "manifesto" and its aftermath, as well as Disney's announcement that it's launching two different streaming services.

Guest Starring: Aleen Simms and Megan Morrone

This episode of Download is sponsored by:

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Links and Show Notes

Here's The Full 10-Page Anti-Diversity Screed Circulating Internally at Google - Gizmodo

In the memo, which is the personal opinion of a male Google employee and is titled “Google’s Ideological Echo Chamber,” the author argues that women are underrepresented in tech not because they face bias and discrimination in the workplace, but because of inherent psychological differences between men and women. “We need to stop assuming that gender gaps imply sexism,” he writes, going on to argue that Google’s educational programs for young women may be misguided.

Ex-Google Engineer Says Gender Memo Began on 12-Hour Flight - Bloomberg

Ex-Google engineer James Damore says problems with the company’s culture and diversity programs prompted him to write the memo on gender differences that ignited a social media firestorm and led to his dismissal.

Google Employee Memo: Read YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki's Response - Fortune

Susan Wojcicki's daughter asked her a question. “Mom, is it true that there are biological reasons why there are fewer women in tech and leadership?”

App Camp For Girls

App Camp For Girls is a one-week summer day program where girls* can put their creative powers to work, designing and building apps, while learning more about the business of software and being inspired by role models in the industry.

Google on Anti-Diversity Manifesto: Employees Must 'Feel Safe Sharing Their Opinions' - Motherboard

Google's new Vice President of Diversity, Integrity & Governance Danielle Brown, responded to the document in a memo to employees.

Google has fired the employee who penned a controversial memo on women and tech - Recode

In a memo to employees, Google CEO Sundar Pichai said the employee who penned a controversial memo that claimed that women had biological issues that prevented them from being as successful as men in tech had violated its Code of Conduct, and that the post had crossed “the line by advancing harmful gender stereotypes in our workplace.”

James Damore, Fired for Writing the 'Google Memo,' Just Might Sue - WIRED

The former Google employee who was fired after posting a missive criticizing the company's diversity efforts calls his dismissal illegal and says he is "exploring all possible legal remedies."

xkcd: Free Speech
So, about this Googler’s manifesto. - Yonatan Zunger on Medium

"You have probably heard about the manifesto a Googler (not someone senior) published internally about, essentially, how women and men are intrinsically different and we should stop trying to make it possible for women to be engineers, it’s just not worth it."

Intel’s new Ruler SSDs could pack one petabyte of data in a single server rack - The Verge

Hard drives and SSDs come in pretty standard shapes at this point: there are 3.5-inch drives for desktops, 2.5-inch ones for laptops, and the newer M.2 standard that basically looks like a giant stick of RAM. Intel’s new enterprise SSDs are changing that with the company’s new “Ruler” design, which is designed to optimize storage density while also reducing the amount of power and cooling.

Disney to end Netflix deal and launch its own streaming service - The Verge

Disney will end its distribution deal with Netflix and launch its own streaming service, the company has announced. It intends to launch the service in 2019.

Inside BAM: How baseball’s tech team built the future of television - The Verge

BAM is the engine behind a growing number of streaming services.

meganmorrone (@meganmorrone) - Twitter
Aleen 🚀 (@Aleen) - Twitter
(3) Suzanne Sadedin's answer to What do scientists think about the biological claims made in the anti-diversity document written by a Google employee in August 2017? - Quora