2021 Diversity Annual Report

A Conversation on Racial Equity

Marian Croak (Vice President of Responsible AI and Human Centered Technology), Cassandra Johnson (Vice President of Customer Care & Vendor Management Office), and Juan Rajlin (Treasurer of Google and Alphabet) helped to spearhead Google’s racial equity commitments.

How did we take a systemic approach to our racial equity work?

Cassandra: We really stepped up and developed our equity program management office. Not just that we stood this office up, but as you recall, Marian, the themes that came out of it were because of the collaboration of our Black group, our Black leadership advisory group, and our BGN group, which is our Black Googlers Network.

Marian: Instead of just looking at individuals, we looked at entire systems like the performance system, the promotion system, the hiring and retention system, and made fundamental changes and recommendations how you could weed out bias that was either intentional or unintentional that were parts of those systems where it could easily be embedded within those systems.

Juan: We also took an external lens as well. We serve billions of people with our products, so we need to make sure that they’re inclusive in terms of how people use them and experience them. Then beyond our products, we also, I think, felt the responsibility to do something for the community itself. We looked at the need for systemic change and the fact that there are wealth gaps and income gaps and health care gaps and education gaps. So one of the things that we did that I’m very proud of is this partnership with OFN, Opportunity Finance Network, which is a network of CDFIs, which are community lenders that reach into the communities – in particular focused on the Black community – and lend to small businesses as part of their recovery, reaching into areas that traditional banks usually don’t get to.

Cassandra: You know what, Juan, you made a great point. And I think what has resulted is not just making an impact but making an impact that hopefully is sustainable.

Juan: I think we’re on the cusp of a lot of multiplier effects. Googlers are amazing, right? They do incredible, creative work. They come up with amazing ideas. I’ll give you an example: Googlers came up with this idea with one of our partner banks where the distribution for the shares of the money market funds are done by MDIs, so Minority Depository Institutions, which are the banks that lend to the Black and Latinx communities. And so they get a new income source, which then allows them to make more of an impact in the community. And now we’ve seen a number of other companies follow in our footsteps and invest in this new product. So I see a lot of potential that every time we do something it sparks another idea in a Googler’s mind, and then we create these other opportunities.

Cassandra: Some of our internal commitments were like the student loan repayment program, and that was an idea that really generated from a Googler. And we built upon that because when you look at a lot of Black individuals they’re usually like first generation going to college. So this student repayment loan program is one that makes a difference not just for them but also their families and their communities. And I’m so excited that Google has now committed to some of our growth sites, including Atlanta, Chicago, London, and other places to really increase our Black+ Googlers.

What has Google learned?

Cassandra: This past year has been an amazing self-awareness from Google, just to learn about the different amazing makeup of our Googlers that we have here: what their experiences are, what their journeys are, what their aspirations are. But just as important too, what some of their fears are. It’s not just about, did I check a box, right? Did I do this? I think now it’s becoming part of our DNA.

Marian: Yeah, and one of the things I appreciated was how quickly things changed once we brought things to the leadership’s attention. Both you and Juan have done a lot of work that reflects upon the intersectionality of some of the racial equity work, and the fact that there’s so many elements in society that are marginalized. And how do you see us extending this work to include the people who have disabilities and people who are nonbinary genders and Asian Americans, Jewish people, people of the Muslim faith?

Juan: Totally, I could not agree more. This time last year when we were getting ready to celebrate Pride, it was just after the murder of George Floyd. And we had a debate within our LGBTQ+ community: How should we do this? Pride is about joy and celebration. The tone of it just felt off in the context of the movement that followed George Floyd. And so we came out with this concept of Pride in solidarity, which was all about intersection of what our Black community was going through and how our LGBTQ+ community could join in the movement for racial justice and racial equity and have Pride be something that could be folded into and be part of racial equity, which is like the two collided. That gives back to sort of your own experience when you can do that, and it builds empathy and allyship, and it’s sort of a virtuous cycle.

Cassandra: The Women@ ERG is made up of an amazing group of Googlers who are Latino or who have disabilities or who are part of the LGBTQ community. I think those communities were able to realize that, Wow, we’re so dynamic.

Marian: Yeah, and you know, I’m looking forward to even having more of our equity work include others. Some of the groups have been almost hidden in their pain. And that’s becoming much more prominent, and our understanding that we need to be definitely more engaged with others and support them.

Juan: What we’re trying to create is a culture where literally everyone thinks they can reach their full potential and the meritocracy works for everyone and everybody feels that they can thrive. I think a lot of the programs that we’ve put in place through equity PMO, which are about sort of equity in our people processes, particularly around the performance process, is critically important work to get at these downstream effects like people leaving, someone leaving.

Cassandra: When you’re working with a company, it’s just not about that nine to five, or whatever your work time may be. We want equality at work, but we also want you to have a quality after-work life. And it’s important for people.

Marian: In 2020, we had some pretty serious missteps – and painful – and we’re still healing from some of those. And I think my focus has been on how do we make sure this never happens again and what kinds of things need to be put in place so that they can’t happen again? And there are many other lessons that we have to learn from what’s happened so that we can’t have this tremendous progress and then we just set ourselves back. As long as we’re learning from it, we can recover and heal. But we’re still in the midst of that process of regaining our confidence and moving forward.

Cassandra: The common thing for a lot of Googlers when I talk to them is no matter what your level is, no matter what background you are, no matter some of your experiences, at the core of it is your heart and your soul. And so when you talk about George Floyd and him crying for his mother, I think as a mother that touched my heart. And I love that Google is trying to touch other people’s heart.

Marian: I definitely understand that. We know things have not stopped externally. We know this is still happening, and it is a great comfort to know that such a major tech company is at least trying very hard to make a difference despite, as I said, missteps. And I think that’s how it starts, you know? I think that’s how society changes, is through corporate leaders trying to make that change.

Cassandra: Yeah. And I think to your point, Marian, being vulnerable is probably the hardest but most amazing thing anyone can do, and I think a lot of leaders and a lot of Googlers have done that this past year. And I think if I had to wrap up this past year, it’s vulnerability, it’s grace, but it’s also growth.

How do you feel about the future of this work?

Marian: What I think I saw start last year was just this awareness that there were problems. Even with the missteps that we’ve had, that’s created even more awareness. And I think from the awareness you get the acceptance that things have to change. And so we’re beginning to see the impact of those changes.

Juan: Not every treasurer out there for every company spends such a large proportion of their time thinking about racial equity and how to make a difference and create an impact. And I think the fact that I get to do that speaks to how Google really cares about this. And that makes me hopeful, and it’s incredibly motivating not just to me but to the team.

Cassandra: When you look at our portfolio of products and services, and how, to your point, the team is committed not just to provide or develop an amazing product but to be inclusive in how we develop that product. And then you even take it one step further, and we do initiatives that we actually leverage our products – utilize our products in the different communities – to make a difference for some of our small minority-owned Black businesses or even in hospitals, to your point, Juan, because we have some of the most brilliant and some of the most creative Googlers and partners. So it’s like, What is next? Let’s do it.

Juan: Right on.

Marian: Cassandra and Juan, it has been great to chat with you about this. It’s such important work, and I know that we’ll be continuing to work together. So thank you again for the opportunity to have this conversation.

Juan: Cassandra and Marian, thank you so much. It’s been an honor to have this conversation with you.

Cassandra: I’m so excited to be on this journey with both of you. So until next time, talk to you later.