Google has agreed to pay $28 million to settle a lawsuit alleging racial bias in its pay and promotion practices. The lawsuit, filed in 2021, claimed that Hispanic, Latino, Native American, and other minority employees were paid less and had fewer career advancement opportunities compared to their white and Asian colleagues.
The case was supported by a leaked internal document showing pay discrepancies, leading to a class-action suit covering over 6,600 employees who worked at Google between 2018 and 2024. While the tech giant denies any wrongdoing, it stated that the settlement aims to resolve the matter and reaffirm its commitment to fair pay and hiring.
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Lawyers for the plaintiffs praised employees who leaked salary data, emphasizing how difficult it is to expose pay inequities without whistleblowers. They hope the settlement will push for greater transparency in the tech industry.
The case comes as major corporations like Meta, Amazon, and McDonald’s scale back diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives amid political pressure. With the return of Donald Trump to the White House, federal agencies and contractors have been ordered to eliminate DEI programs, raising concerns about the future of workplace equality.
