from Hacker News

Alphabet’s Chief Legal Officer Stepping Down Amid Investigation

by SuperKlaus on 1/10/20, 7:14 PM with 283 comments

• by bhaile on 1/10/20, 10:52 PM

  Interesting comment from Bill Maris from Axios.

  Bill Maris, who founded Google's venture capital arm and reported directly to Drummond before quitting in 2016, tells Axios...

  "The news of David Drummond leaving Google today brings to mind a quote from one of my most favorite creatures. 'At an end, your rule is. And not short enough, it was.' I had been asked in the past why I left Google in 2016, and I have never really commented on that. David Drummond is the reason I left Google. I simply could not work with him any longer. It’s that simple. We have very, very different ideas about how to treat people, and this was a long time coming."[1]

  [1]https://www.axios.com/alphabet-david-drummond-departure-7572...

• by loganfrederick on 1/10/20, 9:24 PM

  I really liked Ben Horowitz's new book "What You Do Is Who You Are". However, the only passage that I disliked and stood out to me is when he defended David Drummond for his ability to thrive at Google for a long time despite the corporate culture changing.

  This was after Drummond was called out publicly for abandoning his kid he had with a subordinate: https://www.law.com/corpcounsel/2018/10/25/report-alphabet-c...

  I am sure he's made a lot of people money, but it's not like Google couldn't find a great legal chief who also wasn't a terrible person.

  Edit: First article I linked to was paywalled, so here is the underlying story: https://medium.com/@jennifer.blakely/my-time-at-google-and-a...

• by lacker on 1/10/20, 7:55 PM

  These sexual misconduct investigations at Google are really finding some critical stuff. At this point my guess is that it is related to the Larry and Sergey resignations, and we will eventually hear information that reflects poorly on them directly.

• by aylmao on 1/10/20, 11:22 PM

  It's honestly more angering when figures like this think everyone else is dumb and will swallow the story that nothing is happening, it was just the right time to leave. This one is even worse, he's trying to sell himself as a wise leader leaving to see his pupils grow:

  > He said that it was the “right time for me to make way for the next generation of leaders”

  > In his farewell note, Mr. Drummond did not mention any of the claims.

  Really? At least mention the full context around your departure. Moreover, he tries to pull this one off:

  > “I know this company is in the best of hands, and I am excited for what the future holds for Google, for Alphabet and for me,”

  > His departure had been telegraphed in the last few months as he sold off most of his shares in Alphabet, unloading roughly $170 million worth of company stock from November to January.

  Come on. Drummond, you're leaving as consequence of the investigation around your misconduct. This is not an opportunity to try to squeeze idolatry out of. Just leave.

• by vl on 1/10/20, 7:47 PM

  > Last year, a committee of independent directors from Alphabet’s board hired a law firm to investigate its handling of allegations of sexual misconduct and inappropriate relationships by current and former executives as part of its legal defense against shareholder lawsuits over its handling of the matters, according to documents viewed by The Times.

  Let’s sure hope they investigated Sergey and Larry too, unlike them, at least this guy got married to his office romantic interest.

• by radu_floricica on 1/11/20, 3:05 PM

  Am I the only one not thinking there's anything too outrageous in the article? I've also read the medium article by the ex. It paints the picture of somebody that definitely doesn't get top marks in family, but ... well... he's not that much different from the average american. A standard deviation, maybe? He met somebody else, separated from the wife, tried to make a new family, failed, went back to the wife. Makes me feel a bit sorry for everyone involved, but that's it. I really don't see a demon.

  If the bad part is moving the girlfriend in another department, everybody looks like they've been overly accommodating, honestly. Having the bosses's wife work in the same department is not fair to the other members of the team. "Hey, Bill, who do you think will get the big bonus this time? You or the bosses's wife?". The decision to be together was mutual - acting as if it wasn't is extremely insulting to her. Some consequences are positive and some negative, that's just life, and one is that they couldn't work together anymore.

  I can't see anything else. Alleged affairs? Not that many, not while in a committed relationship, and to be perfectly candid, not unusual if they happened. And given the current popularity of poly, possibly accepted by everybody. Definitely not loudly protested at the time.

  What did I miss that makes him the devil?

• by yibg on 1/11/20, 1:50 AM

  Maybe unpopular opinion but I would assume men in positions of power / wealth would be more likely to engage in these types of behavior.

  Romance / sex is a pretty primal thing for most people, in many cases limited by available options and / or consequences. It also tends to override the more logical parts of the brain. Having more options opened up, even if causing ethical issues I'm pretty sure will push a good percentage of men over.

  I have no idea what that percentage is, but I wouldn't think it is very small. I think if we dig hard enough we'd uncover a lot more of of these cases in many different companies.

• by ChuckMcM on 1/11/20, 6:54 AM

  Not one of my favorite people at Google. We had an interesting discussion about why Google, which was "transparent" about ranking and rating kept two variables about your performance secret which made it impossible to verify whether or not your bonus was in fact what they had promised you. Very annoying.

• by rvz on 1/10/20, 8:32 PM

  The multiple scandals, trip-ups, investigations and blunders at Google sounds very eligible to be turned into its own theatrical melodrama set.

  In this rehearsal, the CLO has already been "off script" for many years and the "directors" have told him that he isn't getting his $50m golden parachute this time. Instead, he leaves with nothing and takes an Uber back home. No travel expenses paid.

• by duxup on 1/10/20, 9:45 PM

  I thought his relationships were pretty much known... for a long time by everyone?

  I swear I remember folks publicly noting these relationships.

• by neonate on 1/10/20, 7:38 PM

  http://archive.md/uZkcU

• by jiveturkey on 1/10/20, 8:34 PM

  huh.

  https://www.cnbc.com/2020/01/10/alphabets-legal-chief-is-lea...

  > Drummond is also a board member of private equity firm KKR & Co. L.P.

  KKR is the PE firm well known for destroying the companies they buy, for their benefit ... and not for their LP's benefit. Dastardly.

• by kjgkjhfkjf on 1/10/20, 11:40 PM

  Once again, we must sadly admit that Google is a place where bad things occasionally happen, just like at every other company big and small.

• by gumby on 1/10/20, 8:12 PM

  No $50M for him.

• by dredmorbius on 1/10/20, 7:23 PM

  Earlier / dupe: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22013436

  This is (for obvious reasons) getting multiple submissions. The CNBC article seems the most comprehensive to date: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22014115

• by stopads on 1/10/20, 7:20 PM

  It's pretty wild that he was there since 2002, he's practically a founder.

• by freepor on 1/10/20, 9:35 PM

  A true all-star in his profession. Managed to protect one of the most unethical businesses in technology history from any substantial legal/regulatory consequences. His tenure at Google is comparable to OJ Simpson’s unforgettable 1973 season for the Buffalo Bills.

• by jeffrallen on 1/10/20, 8:51 PM

  Oh gross. Why can't powerful men behave themselves? Makes me grateful I'm not a powerful man.

• by ycombonator on 1/10/20, 10:00 PM

  Is there a database of all sexual abusers who have been let go ?

• by pinopinopino on 1/10/20, 8:11 PM

  Good, more mayhem for Google. I don't mind see them burning a bit. Hopefully the EU forces them to split up soon too. I have had my share of monopolist corporations playing moral compass.

• by zepto on 1/10/20, 9:19 PM

  There is nothing toxic about Google’s culture. These are normal events in any organization of this size. They are just as focussed as ever on organizing the world’s information and making it universally accessible.