Google staff demand exec step aside after ethicist’s firing: Document

Staff on Google’s Ethical AI research team on Wednesday demanded the company sideline a vice president and commit to greater academic freedom, escalating a confrontation with management following this month’s termination of scientist Timnit Gebru.

The personnel called on Vice President Megan Kacholia to be removed from the team’s management chain after she allegedly excluded Gebru’s boss from the decision to fire her, according to an internal document seen by Reuters.

Gebru had questioned Google’s demand for her to retract a paper describing harms from Google-like technology, and the company answered by saying it accepted her resignation.