Breitbart Posts Video of Google Execs' Reaction to Trump Win

Site says it's evidence of bias, but Google says personal opinions don't affect products
By John Johnson,  Newser Staff
Posted Sep 13, 2018 6:59 AM CDT

Breitbart is out with a headline-generating video of Google executives reacting to the election of Donald Trump at the first staff meeting following his win. In Breitbart's view, the hour-long video "reveals an atmosphere of panic and dismay amongst the tech giant’s leadership, coupled with a determination to thwart both the Trump agenda and the broader populist movement emerging around the globe." A similar sentiment is emerging on the right, but Google is pushing back. People are free to express their personal opinions at such forums, but "nothing was said at that meeting, or any other meeting, to suggest that any political bias ever influences the way we build or operate our products," says the company.

  • One big quote: "As an immigrant and a refugee, I certainly find this election deeply offensive, and I know many of you do too," co-founder Sergey Brin tells the audience. This line is being heavily cited in coverage. Brin said Trump's win "conflicts with many of our values."

  • One assessment: The video "offers ample proof that Google leadership finds Trump and his supporters distasteful and contrary to the company's stated values," writes Joseph Bernstein and Samantha Oltman at BuzzFeed. "It doesn't show, though, any evidence that Google's tools are built to disadvantage conservatives."
  • From the right: "It is easy to see how these uniformly left-wing robots/people seamlessly transitioned into Resisting the duly elected Trump administration," writes John Hinderaker at PowerLine. He wonders if it's time to turn "left-wing tech monopolies" into public utilities. "After watching the video, you no doubt will be ready to take action."
  • 2 other quotes: Casey Newton at the Verge thinks Breitbart is sensationalizing, pointing to other comments, such as this one from Google exec Kent Walker: “It was a fair and democratic process, and we honor that." The Guardian picks out this one from exec Eileen Naughton: "I do want to be clear that diversity also means diversity of opinion and political persuasion," she says. "I have heard from some conservative Googlers in the past few days that they haven't felt comfortable. We need to do better; we need to be tolerant, inclusive."
  • A prediction: "I bet Trump starts going after Google—taking this as confirmation of his paranoia that big tech is out to get him," writes Jonathan Swan of Axios. Donald Trump Jr. already has seized on it. And Trump's campaign manager, Brad Parscale, writes that Google "needs to explain why this isn't a threat to the Republic."
(More Google stories.)

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