Google ex-employees claim firm discriminates against conservative white men

James Damore, who was fired last year after circulating an internal memo claiming that “biological causes” contributed to a lack of women in tech and leadership positions, filed the suit along with David Gudeman at Santa Clara Superior Court in California.

Their lawsuit claims that Google gives unlawful advantage to women and ethnic minority people in hiring practices.

They also accuse it of failing to protect employees with conservative views, including supporters of US President Donald Trump.

California law protects employees from discrimination from their employer due to their political views, affiliations, or activities.

Prominent conservative lawyer Harmeet Dhillon, acting for Mr Damore, said that treating conservative white men as a protected class “would not be a precedent, it would simply be an application of the law”.

In a short statement, a spokesperson for Google said: “We look forward to defending against Mr Damore’s lawsuit in court.”