A former Google employee, Shaun Maguire, has come forward with claims of being denied a promotion at the tech giant based on his race. Maguire conducted a poll on X (formerly Twitter), asking if he should share his experience of being told he couldn’t be promoted for being a white man, with 91% of respondents encouraging him to do so.
Describing Google as “an absolute trash can dumpster fire,” Maguire expressed his frustration with the company’s alleged discriminatory practices. He stated that despite being one of the highest-performing individuals at Google, his boss at Google Ventures informed him that promotions were limited by quotas.
In a tweet, Maguire quoted his supervisor as saying, “I’m really not supposed to tell you this. It could get me fired. But you’re one of the highest-performing people here, but I can’t promote you right now because I have a quota. My hands are tied. You’ll get the next slot. Please be patient. I’m really sorry.’ — Google.”
According to Maguire, the alleged quota was a response to pressure from employee resource groups formed after the #MeToo scandals, advocating for increased hiring of women and diverse candidates.
Google denied the claims, asserting that decisions about Maguire’s promotion at Google Ventures were not influenced by his race or gender. A spokesperson stated, “The founders and Board have never spoken to [Google Ventures] about personnel matters. Shaun is a talented investor, and we wish him well at Sequoia, but decisions about his promotion and career advancement at GV not once ever involved consideration of his race or gender.”
In response, Maguire accused Google of lying and emphasized that a promotion could have significantly increased his salary. After leaving Google Ventures, Maguire sold his cybersecurity company, Expanse, for $1.05 billion in 2020 and is currently a partner at Sequoia, a prominent venture capital firm.
