Part 1: The Big Tech Revolving Door
Why Big Tech Cabinet Appointments Should Be Avoided
Months after my daughter was born–ironically on March 8th, International Women’s Day–Google HR reached out to share the results of an internal investigation that was initiated after I served the company a demand letter asking that I had been experiencing stop.
As I held my newborn in my arms while at home on maternity leave, I joined the scheduled virtual meeting in which two women from HR walked me through how simple miscommunication explained all of my experiences. One was familiar; the other was new to me.
Curious about the unfamiliar face, I Googled her name. I later learned that her career move was part of a phenomenon known as the “Big Tech Revolving Door,” essentially, Big Tech companies strategically hiring key personnel from government agencies and vice versa.
Learning the woman from HR was a former FBI agent made me question myself, which was undoubtedly the intent. How could a former FBI personnel, someone with honed investigative skills and a background in protecting the American population, be so wrong? My intimidation turned into worry when she became a witness . I couldn’t help but wonder: whom would a jury find more credible, me or a former FBI agent?
Amid my lawsuit, I also learned that other former federal workers claimed the coveted status of “Googler.” This includes, for example, reporting into the Office of the CEO. The EEOC is an important federal agency that enforces federal laws against workplace discrimination. With a background of having worked for the EEOC, this Googler had government insight that a reasonable person could conclude she used as the creator of Google’s HR Compliance, Risk Management, and Labor Relations teams.
Could it be that the above-mentioned Googler became , especially with the complaint ? Regardless, the presence of a former EEOC worker among the ranks of people closest to Google CEO Sundar Pichai hints at why my legal journey of accountability ended up being so challenging.
involving an analysis of LinkedIn profiles, between 2017 and 2022, Big Tech companies hired at least 248 employees from federal government agencies such as the Department of Justice (DOJ), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), and the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). With many government workers not having a LinkedIn profile, including the FBI agent-turned-Googler whom I brushed shoulders with (I also know this to be true as a former government worker myself), I have no doubt this number is actually much larger.
This leads to an important question: How can government employees remain unbiased in performing their job responsibilities related to protecting the American population, sometimes against Big Tech wrongdoing, if the ultimate goal is to pursue a high-paying Big Tech career?
The impact of the Big Tech Revolving Door greatly transcends individual stories like my own or those of former Seattle entrepreneur Amy Nelson. addressed this in speaking to how the Big Tech Revolving Door “represents serious threats to privacy, democracy, innovation, and Americans’ economic well-being.” The letter outline how Big Tech’s political influence and power have skewed far beyond what should be permitted.
This underscores why the Big Tech Revolving Door deserves national attention, particularly during the critical final weeks of the presidential race — just as it did during the previous election. Ideally, such discussion would include a transparent reveal of plans to embrace or avoid Big Tech cabinet appointments.
Big Tech workers sprinkle cabinet appointment prediction lists, , Vice President and former United States Associate Attorney General. West is listed as a potential candidate to lead the DOJ, the federal agency “to uphold the rule of law, to keep our country safe, and to protect civil rights,” including women’s rights.
Currently serving as Uber’s Chief Legal Officer, West was hired in 2017 to address the company’s . He has since been handsomely rewarded for his involvement in Uber’s IPO. In 2023, he including stock options and salary. Casting familial nepotism aside, West’s affiliation with Uber is a quintessential example of the Big Tech Revolving Door.
On the other side of the aisle, Donald Trump, if elected, Given my background, I’ll never forget how. I wonder what Musk’s treatment of women might look like from within the walls of the Whitehouse.
In his Bloomberg op-ed, journalist Matthew Yglesias advocates for Big Tech appointments, describing tech workers as among the “smartest and hardest-working people.” This rhetoric deserves scrutiny, particularly given its appearance in Bloomberg, founded by Michael Bloomberg.
Dismantling the layers of gaslighting I experienced in my journey of holding Google accountable to the promises it made has been an important part of my healing journey as a former Big Tech worker. As unbelievable as it sounds, a former FBI agent was part of my Google story, a story that’s attached to a much bigger phenomenon: the wide-reaching Big Tech Revolving Door.
Chelsey Glasson is the author of . Check out the book’s introduction,
