Google’s Chief Executive Sundar Pichai offered an apology following the dismissal of Dr. Timnit Gebru.
The apology was sent in an email to employees on Wednesday (December 9), in which Pichai stated, “I’ve heard the reaction to Dr. Gebru’s departure loud and clear: It seeded doubts and led some in our community to question their place at Google. I want to say how sorry I am for that, and I accept the responsibility of working to restore your trust.”
The departure of a prominent Black employee comes as Google leaders reckon with their relationship between employees. Some employees said Gebru's dismissal is a prime example of how Black employees are treated at the company, according to a report by The New York Times.
Gebru came forward last week stating her work credentials had been revoked within days of an email she sent expressing frustration over the company’s bias in hiring and a new piece of artificial intelligence technology it's developing.
“We need to assess the circumstances that led to Dr. Gebru’s departure, examining where we could have improved and led a more respectful process,” Pichai added. “We will begin a review of what happened to identify all the points where we can learn.”
Gebru responded to the email on Twitter, saying the email was not a genuine apology. She called out the company for painting her as an "angry Black woman for whom you need 'de-escalation strategies' for."
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