Google has reached a $50 million settlement with Black employees who alleged that the company maintained systemic racial disparities in hiring, pay and advancement, with claims that former staff were steered into lower-level and lower-paid jobs and faced a hostile work environment if they spoke up, according to the settlement terms described by civil rights attorney Ben Crump.
The lawsuit was filed in 2022 by April Curley, a former Google employee, who alleged that Google engaged in a “pattern and practice” of unfair treatment for Black workers. The complaint also alleged that hiring managers deemed Black job candidates “not ‘Googly’ enough,” a description the suit said amounted to a “plain dog whistle for race discrimination,” and that interviewers “hazed” and undermined Black candidates.
Crump, who represented the plaintiffs, said in a statement that the litigation centered on accountability. “This case is about accountability, plain and simple,” Crump said. “For far too long, Black employees in the tech industry have faced barriers that limit opportunity. This settlement is a significant step toward holding one of the world’s most powerful companies accountable and making clear that discriminatory practices cannot and will not be tolerated.”
The suit later received class action status, with other former Google workers joining. The allegations included claims that Black employees were hired into lower-paying and lower-level roles with less advancement potential based on race and racial stereotypes, according to the description of the complaint.
The settlement was announced in May 2025 and received final approval this week, according to the report. Google said at the time the agreement was reached that it strongly disagrees with the allegations that it treated anyone improperly, and that it remains “committed to paying, hiring, and leveling all employees consistently.”
The agreement also includes measures aimed at pay equity and employment dispute processes. Crump said the settlement includes a commitment to pay equity analyses, pay transparency measures, and limits on mandatory arbitration for employment-related disputes through at least August 2026, and that the deal does not constitute admission of liability by Google.
The allegations have echoed years of complaints from Black employees at Google, including former artificial intelligence scholar Timnit Gebru, who said she was pushed out in 2020 after a dispute over a research paper that examined the societal dangers of an emerging branch of artificial intelligence.
With final approval now granted, the settlement puts concrete terms around the plaintiffs’ claims, while Google maintains that it disagrees with the underlying allegations.