Google employees to walk out to protest treatment of women

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Hundreds of Google engineers and other workers are expected to walk off the job Thursday morning to protest the internet company’s lenient treatment of executives accused of sexual misconduct.

It is the latest expression of a backlash against men’s exploitation of female subordinates in a business, entertainment and politics. In Silicon Valley, women also are becoming fed up with the male-dominated composition of the technology industry’s workforce — a glaring imbalance that critics say fosters unsavory behavior.

A week ago, a New York Times story detailed allegations of sexual misconduct against the creator of Google’s Android software, Andy Rubin. The report said Rubin received a $90 million severance package in 2014 even though Google thought the allegations were credible. Rubin has denied the allegations.