> exhorting them to stop working

Perhaps it's just me as a URM, but her email resonated with me, especially this part. I see this position of calling what she did "exhorting them to stop working" often, but this isn't really what she did.

I too care about DEI, but after putting lots of time and effort into it I saw how futile the effort was in my organization because there was real buy-in from higher ups. I was putting a lot of unrewarded volunteer work helping with "inclusivity" and talking about the problems/solutions, but that was all it was in the end for the people we needed action from; "talk". I did decide eventually to dial it back and stick to my actual paid job of programming, and although I didn't send an email to other people telling them their effort was being wasted, if someone came and asked me, I'd tell them to not bother. There's other places, usually further removed from the the company and easily PR-able channels, where the effort is better spent.

In any case, I hope you realize your comment is full of hyperbole and the people who think she isn't in the wrong, myself included, aren't being unreasonable. We're smart people too.

> There's no way that Google (or any company) would continue to employ her after that

I agree. None of this comes as a surprise and I'm sure she expected it too; that doesn't mean Google is in the moral high ground.

Citation needed, for sure. I certainly believe that most companies don't particularly value honesty, especially when pointing out managerial flaws. But looking at what she wrote with a manager's eyes, I don't see anything I'd fire her for. But like aylmao writes, I see it more as an impassioned and probably valid critique of DEI work that is more posture than substance. What I see is somebody who really cares about the problem, and who could be channeled into productive work as long as that work truly has impact.

I also suspect that if she'd written the equivalently passionate comment about a technical failure or bad product choices, people here would be cheering her on. Especially if she were a he.

Just had a corporate counsel seminar on this: Under federal and most state harassment/discrimination laws the company actually can’t fire her for any of those “protected” activities unless the accusations of racism are shown to be untrue and made in bad faith.

I personally do not have enough info to decide who is telling the truth in this case.

Something can't be both. A resignation is an unconditional desire to leave. "If you don't fix this, I can't continue working here", though, is a desire to stay.