Google employees walk out over sexual misconduct

Hundreds of Google employees around the world staged a walkout Thursday over perceived mishandling of sexual misconduct accusations, including lenient treatment for accused executives. The “Walkout for Real Change” comes a week after The New York Times reported on sexual misconduct accusations against Andy Rubin, the original developer behind Google’s Android software. The Times said Google gave Rubin a $90 million severance package in 2014 despite finding the accusations credible, though Rubin has denied them. The Times article also included accusations against other executives, one of whom, Richard DeVaul, resigned without severance on Tuesday, Google confirmed Wednesday.

Google CEO Sundar Pichai and executive Eileen Naughton, who is in charge of personnel, sent an email last week to assure employees that the company had taken stronger action since Rubin left, firing without severance 48 employees, including 13 senior managers, for sexual harassment. Pichai apologized in a separate email Tuesday for Google’s past actions. “I am fully committed to making progress on an issue that has persisted for far too long in our society … and, yes, here at Google, too,” he wrote.