Google fires employees for leaking to tech reporters

A former employee of Google is suing the company over its policy of firing workers who talk to tech reporters, reports Kieren McCarthy of The Register.

McCarthy writes, “‘If you’re considering sharing confidential information to a reporter – or to anyone externally – for the love of all that’s Googley, please reconsider! Not only could it cost you your job, but it also betrays the values that makes us a community.’

“So reads an ominous email titled ‘INTERNAL ONLY. REALLY’ sent from the head of investigations at Google, Brian Katz.

“Katz was responding to a leak of internal jokes about Nest CEO Tony Fadell as well as a transcript of a talk he gave to an ‘open meeting’ of Google employees. The email notes: ‘We identified the people who leaked the TGIF transcript and memes. Because of their intentional disregard of confidentiality, they’ve been fired.’

“Except one of the people Katz fired claims he didn’t leak anything. And so late last year he sued Google for unjustly terminating his contract and pointed the finger at a corporate culture of secrecy and fear.

“Internally, employees are encouraged to monitor their colleagues and report anything they think is suspicious to the internal investigative team that Katz heads up, the anonymous employee claims.”

Read more here. The Recode story that led to the firing is here.