‘There’s a Quota’: Man Claims ‘Woke’ Google Didn’t Promote Him Because He Is White, Male

Shaun Maguire said he was not promoted for being white, male when he was working for tech giant Google. (Image: X/@shaunmmaguire)

Shaun Maguire, a tech star, who previously worked with Google and is now working with Sequoia said he left the tech giant because he was told that he would not get promoted because he is a white man. He, however, was able to stand on his feet by selling his startup years later for $1 billion.

Google is facing backlash after releasing Gemini – Google’s AI Model – which generated photos of a Native American pope and black founding fathers. Amid the storm, Maguire also shared his story on social media site X where he said that Google prioritises appearing ‘woke’ and in his case did not reward people based on their talents.

Shaun worked at Google’s Mountain View, California-based headquarters from 2016 to 2019. He said at one instance his senior manager at Google Ventures told him his “hands were tied”.

He told Maguire that despite being “one of the highest performing people here,” he could not promote him because he “has a quota”.

“I’m really not supposed to tell you this. It could get me fired,” Maguire quoted his then-boss as telling him in 2019.

A report by the New York Post said that during Maguire’s tenure at Google, the tech giant was roiled by the #MeToo scandals which saw victims of sexual abuse and harassment in Hollywood and in several industries come forward and name and shame the perpetrators.

This led to the formation of “employee resource groups” who demanded that the management hire more women and other diverse candidates throughout the company.

“Should I go public with the story about the time I was told I can’t be promoted for being a white man?” Maguire wrote on X. “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,” Maguire quoted his then-manager as saying.

The report by the New York Post, citing a source, said that the boss resisted calls to meet hiring quotas that favoured women and minorities but employees at Google Ventures threatened to quit, forcing him to back down. The report claimed that the pressure campaign extended to the company’s board, including founders Sergey Brin and Larry Page.

A Google spokesperson said the account by Maguire was “completely untrue”. “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,” the spokesperson was quoted as saying by the New York Post.

“My response is they’re lying through their teeth,” Maguire said in response to the spokesperson’s claims while speaking to the newspaper.

Maguire currently is a partner at Sequoia, the venture capital firm that has helped build Silicon Valley giants such as Apple, Google, Oracle, PayPal and WhatsApp.

Maguire also claimed that at least five former and current Google employees reached out to him since his original post and shared “similar stories”.