James Damore
A former Google engineer who was fired after writing a memo complaining about political bias at the company, highlighting the risks for employees who speak up.
First Mentioned
1/3/2026, 4:16:33 AM
Last Updated
1/3/2026, 4:17:17 AM
Research Retrieved
1/3/2026, 4:17:17 AM
Summary
James Damore is a former Google software engineer who gained international attention in 2017 after authoring an internal memo titled "Google's Ideological Echo Chamber." The memo, which criticized Google's diversity and inclusion policies and suggested that biological differences contribute to the gender gap in tech, led to his termination for violating the company's code of conduct. Following his dismissal, Damore became a prominent figure in debates over free speech and ideological bias in Silicon Valley. He pursued legal action against Google, including a class-action lawsuit alleging discrimination against conservative white men, though he later withdrew these claims to enter private arbitration. An MIT alumnus, Damore has also spoken publicly about his autism diagnosis and has more recently been reported to be living in Luxembourg.
Referenced in 1 Document
Research Data
Extracted Attributes
Gender
Male
Education
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)
Citizenship
United States
Notable Work
Google's Ideological Echo Chamber (Internal Memo)
Legal Counsel
Harmeet Dhillon
Current Residence
Luxembourg City, Luxembourg (as of 2025)
Former Occupation
Software Engineer at Google
Medical Condition
Autism
Timeline
- James Damore authors the internal memo 'Google's Ideological Echo Chamber' criticizing the company's diversity policies. (Source: Wikipedia)
2017-07-01
- Google terminates James Damore for violating the company's code of conduct following the viral spread of his memo. (Source: Wikipedia)
2017-08-07
- Damore files a class-action lawsuit against Google alleging discrimination against conservatives, whites, and men. (Source: NPR)
2018-01-08
- An NLRB lawyer concludes that Google's firing of Damore did not violate federal labor law. (Source: Los Angeles Times)
2018-02-16
- Damore withdraws his claims from the class-action lawsuit to pursue private arbitration with Google. (Source: Wikipedia)
2020-05-01
- Media reports indicate Damore is living in Luxembourg and has largely withdrawn from public digital life. (Source: The Free Press)
2025-03-17
Wikipedia
View on WikipediaGoogle's Ideological Echo Chamber
"Google's Ideological Echo Chamber: How bias clouds our thinking about diversity and inclusion", commonly referred to as the Google memo, is an internal memo, dated July 2017, by US-based Google engineer James Damore () about Google's culture and diversity policies. The memo and Google's subsequent firing of Damore in August 2017 became a subject of interest for the media. Damore's arguments received both praise and criticism from media outlets, scientists, academics and others. The company fired Damore for violation of the company's code of conduct. Damore filed a complaint with the National Labor Relations Board, but later withdrew this complaint. A lawyer with the NLRB wrote that his firing did not violate Federal employment laws, as most employees in the United States can be fired at the employer's discretion. After withdrawing this complaint, Damore filed a class action lawsuit, retaining the services of attorney Harmeet Dhillon, alleging that Google was discriminating against conservatives, whites, Asians, and men. Damore withdrew his claims in the lawsuit to pursue arbitration against Google.
Web Search Results
- Whatever Happened to James Damore (Google engineer who was ...
For those who don't know (or don't remember) James Damore was a Google engineer who was fired from the company in August 2017 after it was discovered that he was the author of an internal memo titled "Google's Ideological Echo Chamber" which went through the usual biological essentialist song and dance we've all come to know and expect from IDW types about how women are built differently from men and this why there are less of them in tech... you know the drill. After his firing, he decided [...] Go to DecodingTheGurus r/DecodingTheGurus • Francis\_J\_Eva 日本語Português (Brasil)FilipinoMagyarNederlandsTürkçeΕλληνικάSuomiPortuguês (Portugal)ไทย # Whatever Happened to James Damore (Google engineer who was fired for complaining about diversity initiatives)? [...] For a while afterwards he was a fixture on the IDW podcast circuit, being interviewed by all the usual suspects (Rogan, Rubin, Peterson, Milo (who was still just about a thing back then), Gad Saad, the Weinsteins etc.) Then, circa late 2018-2019 he just kind of disappeared. His Twitter account's still up, but there's been no activity for over a year and I haven't seen him brought up or interviewed anywhere, so I was curious what happened to him. The last I remember hearing about him was when he
- Google's Ideological Echo Chamber - Wikipedia
"Google's Ideological Echo Chamber: How bias clouds our thinking about diversity and inclusion", commonly referred to as the Google memo, is an internal memo, dated July 2017, by US-based Google engineer James Damore (/dəˈmɔːr/) about Google's culture and diversity policies. The memo and Google's subsequent firing of Damore in August 2017 became a subject of interest for the media. Damore's arguments received both praise and criticism from media outlets, scientists, academics and others. [...] 2. ^ a b Lewis, Paul "Paul Lewis (journalist)") (November 17, 2017). "'I see things differently': James Damore on his autism and the Google memo". The Guardian. Archived from the original on January 1, 2018. Retrieved January 1, 2018. 3. ^ a b c Eidelson, Josh (February 16, 2018). "Google's firing of engineer James Damore did not break labor law, NLRB lawyer concludes". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on February 17, 2018. Retrieved February 17, 2018. [...] 43. ^ Young, Cathy (August 14, 2017). "An interview with James Damore". Reason. Archived from the original on August 16, 2017. Retrieved August 14, 2017. 44. ^ Shinal, John (August 14, 2017). "Fired engineer James Damore says Google hiring based on race, gender". CNBC. Archived from the original on August 15, 2017. Retrieved August 15, 2017.
- James Damore, Google engineer fired for writing manifesto on ...
IE 11 is not supported. For an optimal experience visit our site on another browser. # James Damore, Google engineer fired for writing manifesto on women's 'neuroticism,' sues company James Damore, an engineer who was fired after writing a manifesto disparaging Google's efforts to close the gender gap, is now suing the search giant — claiming it discriminates against conservative white men. [...] Google headquarters in Mountain View, California on September 2, 2015.Justin Sullivan / Getty Images, file Add NBC News to Google By Elizabeth Chuck A former engineer who wrote a sexist manifesto disparaging Google's efforts to close the gender gap is now suing, claiming the search giant discriminates against conservative white men. [...] James Damore's controversial 10-page memo, posted to an internal Google message board in August, posited that women are underrepresented in tech because of "personality differences" between the sexes — not because of any workplace discrimination they may experience. The memo, which cited women's "neuroticism" as a reason there are fewer female workers in high-stress jobs, was published the following day by the tech website Gizmodo and went viral. Damore was quickly fired.
- James Damore Sues Google, Alleging Discrimination Against ... - NPR
James Damore, the former Google engineer who was fired after he wrote a memo sharply criticizing diversity efforts at the company, has filed a class-action lawsuit against his former employer alleging that the tech giant discriminates against conservative white men. "Google executives and employees condemned Damore, his memo, and his views," according to the lawsuit, filed Monday. Damore says he was laughed at, personally insulted and attacked, before ultimately being fired in August. [...] Accessibility links Keyboard shortcuts for audio player James Damore Sues Google, Alleging Discrimination Against Conservative White Men : The Two-Way The former Google engineer was fired after he criticized the company's diversity efforts and suggested that innate differences between men and women explain gender gaps in the tech sector. ## The Two-Way ### America # James Damore Sues Google, Alleging Discrimination Against Conservative White Men Camila Domonoske Enlarge this image [...] Damore is joined in his suit by David Gudeman, a former Google employee who was fired in December 2016. Gudeman used an internal forum to question a Muslim co-worker's account of being targeted by the FBI on the basis of his religion and suggested that the FBI had legitimate reasons to investigate the co-worker. Google human resources fired him, saying it was unacceptable to accuse a colleague of terrorism based on their religion.
- Silicon Valley's Most Infamous Thought Criminal Speaks Out
NewslettersSign InSubscribe What Happened to Silicon Valley’s Most Infamous Thought Criminal? James Damore, the author of the ‘misogynist’ Google memo, was banished from the tech world and became a digital hermit. Now, his ideas have been vindicated. Will he be? By Johanna Berkman 03.17.25 — Tech and Business --:-- --:-- Upgrade to Listen 5 mins Produced by ElevenLabs using AI narration 631 826 [...] LUXEMBOURG CITY, Luxembourg — It’s a bitterly cold day in the Low Country of Luxembourg. So when James Damore opens the door to a seventeenth-century cathedral, offering it up as a kind of refuge, I fall in line behind his gangly footsteps and follow him inside. [...] Damore has blocked digital ad networks from using his personal information to serve him customized ads. He’s switched his Android phone’s colors to gray scale so that it will not visually appeal to him. He uses neither its ringer nor vibrations to alert him to incoming calls (only his wife’s calls can break through). And—perhaps most remarkably—he told me he doesn’t even read the news. “If something is important,” he says, “then other people will tell me.”
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