[ralfd]

My understanding is that it was "normal" for Google to have these kind of discussions on internal boards. A remnant of the libertarian message board and usenet culture of the early silicon valley.

They only fully cracked down on political speech like a big boring company last year:

https://www.theregister.co.uk/2019/08/23/google_politics_cha...

[UncleMeat]

It was never normal. The politically charged boards were always playing with fire. Damore also shared his ideas outside of these spaces where it was even less “normal”. What might be okay to say in an opt-in discussion board about politics may be less okay to say in a training session, for example. Time and place and all that.