At 11:10 a.m. Thursday morning, thousands of Google employees around the world made their way out of their offices to participate in the Google Walkout, a global demonstration over their employer’s mishandling of sexual-misconduct allegations.
Last week, the New York Times publishing a damning exposé that revealed Google had paid a shocking $90 million to Android creator Andy Rubin, who resigned in 2014 following a sexual-misconduct investigation. Per the report, Rubin “coerced [a female co-worker] into performing oral sex in a hotel room” in 2013 — allegations she reported a year later, which Google investigated and found credible.
The strikers are calling on Google to enact a handful of specific changes, such as committing to ending pay inequity and instituting a clear, inclusive process for reporting harassment, as part of their overarching demand: an “end to the sexual harassment, discrimination, and the systemic racism that fuel this destructive culture.”
“All employees and contract workers across the company deserve to be safe,” reads an open letter they published on the Cut. “Sadly, the executive team has demonstrated through their lack of meaningful action that our safety is not a priority. We’ve waited for leadership to fix these problems, but have come to this conclusion: no one is going to do it for us. So we are here, standing together, protecting and supporting each other.”
Throughout the day, demonstrators have been sharing photos on social media of masses of thousands of people, some brandishing signs that read, “Happy to quit for $90M - No sexual harassment required.” Below, the most moving images from the day.