Ex-Google recruiter: I was fired because I resisted “illegal” diversity efforts

Enlarge / Employees work at the Youtube headquarters in San Bruno, California, on May, 26, 2010. (credit: GABRIEL BOUYS/AFP/Getty Images)

A former YouTube employee has sued Google-the video site's parent company-alleging that he was wrongfully terminated from his position after he complained against hiring practices that he claimed were discriminatory against white and Asian men.

The lawsuit, which was filed in late January in San Mateo Superior Court but wasn't reported in the media until Thursday, comes at a time when many Silicon Valley companies (including Google) are becoming increasingly cognizant of a largely male, white and Asian workforce. Some companies have publicly said that they are trying to rectify this situation by working harder to find candidates who can do the job and who are also traditionally underrepresented minorities.

The civil complaint explains that Arne Wilberg, who is described as a 40-year-old white man by The Wall Street Journal, worked as a recruiter for YouTube for seven years. In his job, Wilberg was tasked with helping to select engineering and tech talent for YouTube and Google.

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