Peter Schaeffer
Aug 22, 2017 · 2 min read

Let me start with a meta point. Everyone in Silicon Valley (SV) knows that Damore is right. Even Damore’s fiercest critics in SV actually agree (strongly agree) with him. Of course, they won’t publicly say it. That would be suicide. However, SV strongly believes what Damore believes and isn’t about to change its mind.

Now you may say, let’s of prominent people have disagreed with Damore and he was fired. Indeed, all true, but read on.

The SV Tech labor force is overwhelmingly male and white (heavily Jewish)/Asian. That was true 10 years ago and will (very high probability) be true 10 years (and 20 and 30) from now. So my advice is to look at what Management does, not what they say.

Could SV hire women and non-Asian/white males? Of course, it could. Is it going to?

Could Google impose an ban on male, white/Asian hiring? Clearly it could. Is it going to?

Could Google (less radically) simply require that new hires match the demographics of the USA as a whole (sex, race, ethnicity, etc.). Clearly it could. Is it going to?

Actually, imposing a “diverse” hiring policy would be very expensive and isn’t going to happen.

It is drastically cheaper to pay lip service to “diversity” and fire Damore than to take any real steps towards diversity.

Paying lip service to “diversity” and firing Damore are protection payments on the cheap. Real Danegeld costs real Gold. Rhetoric about “diversity” (and firing Damore) costs almost nothing.

SV is about money, first, foremost and last. Perhaps it shouldn’t be, but it is. A real commitment to “diversity” would be hugely expensive. Denouncing Damore and firing him isn’t.

Let me offer a non-Google example. Apple under Tim Cook loudly proclaims its commitment to LGBTQ rights. That make economic sense, because public advocacy of LGBTQ rights gives Apple cheap protection for other Apple policies that make Marie Antoinette look like a radical egalitarian. But in some countries, this won’t work. Apple might get kicked out of these countries for LGBTQ advocacy (Saudi Arabia, Iran, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates, and India for example). So does Apple withdraw from India? Not exactly.

Now I don’t doubt that at least some executives in SV could pass a lie detector test to demonstrate their sincere belief in “diversity”. However, rhetorical support for diversity and de facto rejection means de facto rejection.

Just the facts

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