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“There’s a place for you here, we need you”: Sundar Pichai asks women to join Google

CALIFORNIA: Google CEO Sundar Pichai has said that there was a place for women at Google and the industry has need of women employees.

“I want you to know there’s a place for you in this industry. There’s a place for you at Google. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. You belong here, and we need you,” Pichai, who was addressing a coding event for women, said.

His views are crucial at a time when an anti-diversity manifesto, written by a Google software engineer James Damore, which claimed that “the representation gap between men and women in software engineering persists because of biological differences between the two sexes”.

Pichai cut his vacation short to deal with the crisis over the manifesto that went viral inside the company and infuriated thousands of employees.

Damore has since been fired from Google.

Pichai earlier said parts of the 3,300-word manifesto crossed the line by “advancing harmful gender stereotypes” in the workplace.

“Our job is to build great products for users that make a difference in their lives,” Pichai said.

“To suggest a group of our colleagues have traits that make them less biologically suited to that work is offensive and not OK. Clearly there’s a lot more to discuss as a group, including how we create a more inclusive environment for all,” he added.

M M Alam

M. M. Alam is a Pakistan-based working journalist since 1981. Karachi University faculty gold medalist Alam began his career four decades ago by writing for Dawn, Pakistan’s highest circulating English daily. He has worked for region’s leading publications, global aviation periodicals including Rotors (of USA) and vetted New York Times as permanent employee of daily Express Tribune. Alam regularly covers international aviation and defense-related events including Salon Du Bourget (France), Farnborough (United Kingdom), Dubai (UAE). Alam has reported thousands of events and interviewed hundreds of people in Pakistan, UAE, EU, UK and USA. Being Francophone Alam also coordinates with a number of French publications.