Ex Google Employee Claims He Was Denied Promotion For Being A White Man

A former Google employee recently revealed that he left the company after being allegedly denied a promotion for being a white man. 

Shaun Maguire conducted a poll, on X (formerly Twitter) asking, “Should I go public with the story about the time I was told I can't be promoted for being a white man?” 91% of the voters said yes. 

Should I go public with the story about the time I was told I can't be promoted for being a white man?

— Shaun Maguire (@shaunmmaguire) December 16, 2023

He revealed that “this happened at Google” describing the company as “an absolute trash can dumpster fire.”

Fuck it,

This happened at Google

That company is an absolute trash can dumpster fire https://t.co/JP2bpa99mT

— Shaun Maguire (@shaunmmaguire) February 23, 2024

He added, “Google is denying this happened but nobody from the company has reached out to me for my side of the story. Honestly, pathetic. I don't want any compensation. I just want you to fix these problems, especially if you're going to lead in AI.”

Google is denying this happened but nobody from the company has reached out to me for my side of the story

Honestly, pathetic

I don't want any compensation

I just want you to fix these problems, especially if you're going to lead in AI https://t.co/0I7bmWmPIu

— Shaun Maguire (@shaunmmaguire) February 24, 2024

Shaun Maguire, who worked at Google's headquarters from 2016 to 2019, stated that despite being one of the highest-performing individuals in the company, his boss at Google Ventures informed him that promotions were constrained by quotas, as per the NY Post.

He quoted his supervisor in a tweet, saying, “I'm really not supposed to tell you this. It could get me fired. But you're one of the highest performing people here but I can't promote you right now because I have a quota. My hands are tied. You'll get the next slot. Please be patient. I'm really sorry.' — Google." 

“I'm really not supposed to tell you this. It could get me fired.

But you're one of the highest performing people here but I can't promote you right now because I have a quota. My hands are tied. You'll get the next slot. Please be patient. I'm really sorry.”

— Google https://t.co/0I7bmWmPIu

— Shaun Maguire (@shaunmmaguire) February 23, 2024

The alleged quota was attributed to the pressure from employee resource groups formed in the wake of the #MeToo scandals, which demanded increased hiring of women and diverse candidates within the company, the report added. 

Mr Maguire's boss initially resisted meeting diversity quotas but gave in due to the threat of employees quitting. The pressure reached Google's founders, Sergey Brin and Larry Page, but Google denied the claims.

A spokesperson for Google said, “The founders and Board have never spoken to [Google Ventures]  about personnel matters. Shaun is a talented investor and we wish him well at Sequoia, but decisions about his promotion and career advancement at GV not once ever involved consideration of his race or gender,” as per the NY Post.

However, Mr Maguire responded, saying that they were “lying through their teeth”, claiming that a promotion could have meant a much higher salary. 

After leaving Google Ventures, he sold his cybersecurity company, Expanse, for $1.05 billion in 2020. Now, he is a partner at Sequoia, a well-known venture capital firm.