[pseingatl]

Three times he uses the word "departure" as if this were her decision. The last reference uses the word "left," reinforcing the position that Google didn't fire her.

Have no doubt: this CYA text was massaged and went through several HR and in-house GC revisions, and maybe even a few round-trips to outside labor litigation counsel.

In other words, this statement is pure CYA and litigation-defensive. They're terrified of a racial discrimination lawsuit.

I hope that Timnit can find her way to the courthouse. I'd love to cross-examine Pichai with this statement in hand. He would deny that these were his words. He would say that he would have expressed it differently. He would say that he wasn't involved with the firing decision: every time the question is asked, the noun used is "termination" and not departure.

The only question remaining, assuming Timnit does file, is quanta of damages.

[bartvk]

It looks to be partly her decision, if I'm reading The Verge correctly:

"After the email went out, Gebru told managers that certain conditions had to be met in order for her to stay at the company. Otherwise, she would have to work on a transition plan."

https://www.theverge.com/2020/12/3/22150355/google-fires-tim...

[thu2111]

In what legal universe could she claim any damages at all, after making it clear that she was quite happy to resign if her ultimatum wasn't met? And with no evidence anywhere that her 'departure' was racially motivated? Are Californian courts really so biased that they'd see racism in a situation where the employee had been planning to sue her own employer, in an at will state?

[throwaway19937]

Google incurs legal fees regardless of the merits of the case.

They are already losing in the court of public opinion.

IMO they should have given her $3-5 million dollars and an NDA when accepting her resignation.

[thu2111]

They really aren't, at least not where I live.