A video of Google’s first company-wide meeting held after the 2016 elections could add more fuel to charges leveled at the tech company regarding its alleged liberal bias.
The video, which was anonymously leaked to Breitbart this week, shows Google executives expressing shock and dismay over Hillary Clinton’s loss to Trump.
Google was Hillary’s largest corporate contributor, with employees and executives collectively donating more than $1.3 million to her campaign. After the election, Google was found to have modified its search algorithms to hide negative information about Hillary Clinton. The company is also believed to have offered free rides to Latino voters to help them get to the polls.
Speaking to employees on November 10th, 2016, Google co-founder Sergey Brin said, “As an immigrant and a refugee, I certainly find this election deeply offensive and I know many of you do too. I think it’s a very stressful time and it conflicts with many of our values.”
Brin, who is originally from Russia, added that the US is entering “a period of great uncertainty,” especially for minorities, immigrants, and women.
Similar concerns were echoed by Google CFO Ruth Porat, who broke into tears during the meeting and called on employees hug one another.
Near the end of the meeting, Brin compared Trump supporters to extremists and fascists in that all three are motivated by “simple boredom.” Results from a Google study “suggest that boredom led to the rise of fascism and also the communist revolution,” said Brin. “There are many other factors too, but it sort of sneaks up sometimes – really bad things.”
VP for Global Affairs Kent Walker suggested Trump supporters are motivated by “fear, xenophobia, hatred, and a desire for answers that may or may not be there.”
Walker and Brin assured employees that Google would fight back against the growing populist movement and Brin urged audience members to consider what the company could do to ensure a “better quality of governance and decision-making.” VP of People Operations Eileen Naughton promised that Google’s policy team in DC would “keep a close watch” on the immigration issue.
Google responded to the leaked video by claiming that employees’ personal views do not influence how their products are designed to perform.
But we have already seen obvious proof that Google filters its search results to promote liberal content.
“This video is the smoking gun,” says Media Research Center President Brent Bozell. “Google’s leadership is decidedly anti-Trump and there is no doubt that their company reflects that. We need hearings now. Google cannot continue to run and hide.”
Google is already facing increased scrutiny over its business practices, and lawmakers have held multiple hearings to discuss the tech giant’s liberal bias.
Last week, lawmakers criticized Google for failing to send an executive to testify alongside Facebook and Twitter. Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich is investigating the company’s handling of user data, and Senator Orrin Hatch (R) has called on the feds to reopen an antitrust probe that was closed in 2013.
Google controls “91% of all search and they get to decide what everyone sees,” tweeted Trump’s son Donald Trump Jr. “If this isn’t a monopoly I don’t know what is.”