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@RossforMaine | |||||
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“Don’t be evil.” I joined Google in 2008, when those words still mattered. Here’s my story, in my own words. medium.com/@rossformaine/…
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Ross LaJeunesse
@RossforMaine
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2. sij |
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This story is bigger than me, and it's bigger than Google. Greed and abuse of power have not only infected American companies like Google, they've infected Washington too. And it's time to stop it. #RossForMaine washingtonpost.com/technology/202…
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Ross LaJeunesse
@RossforMaine
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2. sij |
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I used those words myself in 2010 as Google’s Head of Government Affairs for Asia Pacific, when I executed the company’s landmark decision to stop censoring Search results in China, putting human rights ahead of the bottom line.
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Ross LaJeunesse
@RossforMaine
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2. sij |
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However, the decision infuriated not only the Chinese government, but also frustrated some Google product executives eyeing the huge market and its accompanying profits.
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Ross LaJeunesse
@RossforMaine
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2. sij |
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Just when Google needed to double down on a commitment to human rights, it decided to instead chase bigger profits and an even higher stock price.
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Ross LaJeunesse
@RossforMaine
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2. sij |
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It was no different in the workplace culture.
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Ross LaJeunesse
@RossforMaine
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2. sij |
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Senior colleagues bullied and screamed at young women, causing them to cry at their desks. At an all-hands meeting, my boss said, “Now you Asians come to the microphone too. I know you don’t like to ask questions.”
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Ross LaJeunesse
@RossforMaine
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2. sij |
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At a different all-hands meeting, the entire policy team was separated into various rooms and told to participate in a “diversity exercise” that placed me in a group labeled “homos” while participants shouted out stereotypes such as “effeminate” and “promiscuous.”
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Ross LaJeunesse
@RossforMaine
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2. sij |
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For me, the choice was as clear as the situation. I left. Standing up for women, for the LGBTQ community, for colleagues of color, and for human rights — had cost me my career.
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Ross LaJeunesse
@RossforMaine
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2. sij |
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I am certain of the appropriate response. No longer can massive tech companies like Google be permitted to operate relatively free from government oversight.
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Ross LaJeunesse
@RossforMaine
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2. sij |
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Again, this is bigger than Google. Corporate greed and abuse of power have infected Washington too.
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Ross LaJeunesse
@RossforMaine
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2. sij |
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Susan Collins voted for a $1.5 trillion tax break for companies like Google while working parents in my community literally can’t afford to get sick. Her priorities are clear, so are mine. I'm in this to fight to get my state & our country back on track.
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Ross LaJeunesse
@RossforMaine
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2. sij |
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Are you with me? secure.actblue.com/donate/ross_wa…
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