CS Table 10/31/17: The Google Memo

This week in CS table we will be discussing the memo circulated by a former Google employee criticizing the company’s approach to workplace diversity. I expect this discussion to be wide-ranging: cultural issues in the tech industry, current and proposed strategies for recruiting diverse tech workers, and questions about protected speech in the workplace. We will have assistance in this discussion from several campus partners interested in culture change.

• The New York Times has a nice summary of the events surrounding the memo:
  • Wakabayashi, Daisuke. "Contentious Memo Strikes Nerve Inside Google and Out." The New York Times. 8 Aug. 2017.
• The two following articles raise interesting criticisms of the both the original memo and the way it has been covered:
  • Devlin, Hannah and Alex Hern. “Why are there so few women in tech? The truth behind the Google memo.” The Guardian. 8 Aug. 2017.
  • Friedersdorf, Conor. “The Most Common Error in Media Coverage of the Google Memo.” The Atlantic. 8 Aug. 2017.

Computer science table (CS Table) is a weekly meeting of Grinnell College community members (students, faculty, staff, etc.) interested in discussing topics related to computing and computer science. CS Table meets Tuesdays from 12:00–1:00pm in JRC 224A (inside the Marketplace). Contact the CS faculty for the weekly reading. Students on meal plans, faculty, and staff are expected to cover the cost of their meals. Visitors to the College and students not on meal plans can charge their meals to the department (sign in at the JRC front desk).