Silicon Valley’s poster child for innovation has been caught red-handed again, and surprise - it’s about workplace discrimination. Google, the company that claims to “do no evil,” just agreed to a jaw-dropping $50 million settlement with nearly 4,000 current and former Black employees who say they were systematically sidelined.

The Discriminatory Depth Chart

April Curley, a Black recruiter hired ironically to recruit more Black employees, blew the whistle on Google’s “racially biased corporate culture”. Her lawsuit alleged a pattern of lowered wages, blocked promotions, and a work environment so toxic it makes Silicon Valley’s bros-only reputation look tame.

Show Me the Money (But Not Really)

While $50 million sounds impressive, Google’s classic move is to settle while maintaining they did absolutely nothing wrong. Their statement? A masterclass in corporate non-apology: “We strongly disagree with the allegations that we treated anyone improperly”. Classic tech bro deflection.

A Pattern of Problematic Behavior

This isn’t even Google’s first diversity rodeo. They’ve previously settled similar lawsuits - $28 million for Latino and Indigenous employees, $118 million for gender discrimination. It’s almost like systemic inequality is their unintentional corporate brand.

The settlement, pending judicial approval, also includes a promise not to force employees into mandatory arbitration until 2028. How generous of them to temporarily pause their legal silencing tactics.