The technology company Google has agreed to pay $50 million to settle claims brought by Black workers who accused the firm of engaging in discriminatory employment practices regarding compensation, hiring decisions, and career advancement opportunities.
The class-action case originated in 2022 when former Google worker April Curley filed suit against the tech company, alleging it maintained systematic unfair treatment of Black staff members. According to the legal filing, the company directed these employees toward positions with lower compensation and fewer opportunities for growth, while creating hostile conditions for those who raised concerns about such treatment.
Civil rights lawyer Ben Crump, who served as legal counsel for the workers bringing the case, issued a statement saying: “This case is about accountability, plain and simple. For far too long, Black employees in the tech industry have faced barriers that limit opportunity. This settlement is a significant step toward holding one of the world’s most powerful companies accountable and making clear that discriminatory practices cannot and will not be tolerated.”
The company has not yet provided a response to requests for comment regarding the settlement agreement.
These allegations mirror previous concerns raised by Black workers at the California-based company, including well-known artificial intelligence researcher Timnit Gebru, who stated she was forced out of her position in 2020 following disagreements over her research examining potential societal risks associated with emerging AI technology.
The legal complaint filed two years ago accused the Mountain View-based corporation of evaluating Black job applicants using negative racial assumptions and claimed hiring personnel rejected Black applicants for not being sufficiently ‘Googly,’ which the lawsuit characterized as coded language for racial bias.
The court filing also alleged that during the interview process, Black candidates faced intimidation tactics and were deliberately placed in subordinate roles with reduced compensation and limited career prospects due to their race and associated stereotypes.
While the financial agreement does not require Google to acknowledge wrongdoing, the settlement terms mandate the company conduct regular pay equity reviews, increase salary transparency, and restrict the use of forced arbitration for workplace disputes until at least August 2026, according to attorney Crump.
