A source told Axios that Mitchell had been using automated scripts to find messages showing discriminatory treatment of Gebru, whose recent ousting from the tech giant sparked outrage among colleagues. A Google spokesperson said the company was investigating the incident: [Read: How Netflix shapes mainstream culture, explained by data] Gebru tweeted on Tuesday that Mitchell had not been fired “yet,” but that the researcher would be locked out of her account “for at least a few days.”
— Timnit Gebru (@timnitGebru) January 20, 2021 Mitchell has been a vocal critic of Google’s treatment of Gebru since the researcher’s forced exit from the company in December. Gebru said she was fired in retaliation for an email sent to colleagues that reportedly criticized the Big G’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion operation. Google executive Jeff Dean tweeted that she had resigned over conditions the company requested before publishing a research paper she co-authored on large language models. Mitchell said her team had started using the term “resignated.” Thousands of scientists to sign an open letter expressing solitary with Gebru. Her departure was also cited in the announcement of the Alphabet Workers Union. Google CEO Sundar Pichai has sought to quell the outrage, but his efforts have been criticized by employees — including Mitchell. Hours before news broke of her suspension, the research scientist lambasted Google for “consistently alienating Black women.”
— MMitchell (@mmitchell_ai) January 19, 2021 Her suspension will escalate the growing tensions between Google employees and management.
