Mr. Sundar Pichai, CEO
Google
1600 Amphitheater Parkway
Mountain View, CA 94043

Dear Mr. Pichai,

We, the undersigned, represent global civil society organizations that work on the issues of racial justice, civil and human rights, caste equity, technology, disinformation, journalism and gender-based violence. We have come together in light of the grave reports of caste discrimination at Google which were exposed in the June 2, 2022 Washington Post article, that led to libelous, casteist and discriminatory actions against leading Dalit civil rights leader and scholar, Thenmozhi Soundararajan, and the resignation of Google manager and tech worker activist, Tanuja Gupta, in the face of your management’s retaliatory behavior towards Gupta and her team.  

The series of events that led to harm, harassment and discrimination that both of these women of color leaders experienced is unacceptable and Google must be held accountable for the caste discrimination and violence that happened in the company. We will not stand by as Soundararajan and Gupta are falsely maligned, harassed and smeared by opponents of caste equity.

We unequivocally oppose these assaults against caste-oppressed leaders and their allies and publicly state our commitment to working alongside Equality Labs and their Dalit leaders towards a more just and equitable society.

Although Google is mandated to ensure a safe workplace for all, its actions around caste equity have endangered hundreds of thousands of caste-oppressed workers, not just inside of Google but across the tech sector in South Asia and North America. Your actions have also compromised the Google brand. How can your organization be trusted to steward a platform for millions of users, when you are unable to discern disinformation against your workers and contractors?

These actions are even more troubling given your comments in the wake of George Floyd's murder, where you pledged to make a sustainable set of concrete commitments to move that work forward: internally, to build sustainable equity for Google’s Black+ community, and externally, to make your products and programs helpful in the moments that matter most to Black users. As stakeholders invested in caste equity, we, first and foremost, stand in solidarity with all of Google's Black workers who particularly have been forced to deal with the long-standing anti-Blackness culture in corporate America, including within Google. We also believe that to truly deliver your promise of equity, Google must create inclusive workspaces and products for Dalit-Bahujan communities, who have been struggling against caste apartheid for centuries.

Your commitments ring hollow as Google targeted and retaliated against BIWOC leaders like Timnit Gebru and Tanuja Gupta. This pattern must be broken. And it starts with Google’s management acknowledging the harm you continue to perpetuate on your BIPOC and caste-oppressed workers.

With 2 out of 3 caste-oppressed workers facing caste discrimination in workplaces across the United States, and the discriminatory actions being revealed in your company, the only viable option for Google to meet your Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) commitments is for Google to take responsibility, commit to transformable change and take immediate action. That is why we are demanding Google to do the following:

1) Add caste as a protected category into all of Google's human resources policies, effective immediately.

2) Invest in tested and proven DEI measures to address caste equity, including creating space for caste equity DEI training, platforming caste-oppressed speakers and organizations, and developing a talent pipeline for caste-oppressed workers, with investments that are commensurate with its other DEI pledges.

3) Reinstate Soundararajan’s talk on caste equity, remove all discriminatory content on Google’s internal company platforms that disparage caste equity civil rights work, and that targets her caste and religious identities.

4) Work with Equality Labs, Dalit civil rights organizations, academics and journalists to learn about harms caused by caste apartheid and for Google to become a part of the solution towards caste equity.

As a collective, we condemn Google’s actions and its management’s handling of the situation that led to the de-platforming of Soundararajan and the resignation of Gupta. 

While great harm has been endured by these powerful women, Google now has the opportunity to learn from this painful moment and choose to lead the fight for caste equity from within your company and create change that will be felt across sectors, the globe and possibly your bottom line.

Mr. Pichai, we strongly urge you to create an epic shift in caste equity work and a safe and positive experience for Google’s global workforce. Align yourself with caste equity before more discrimination continues, on your watch.