Ex-Google employee claims company is trying to 'manipulate electoral process,' here’s how
An ex-Google engineer who claims he was fired from the company over his conservative views is now alleging that the search giant is working against President Trump in the 2020 election – a proclamation that caught the attention of the president himself.
"Google has a lot of mechanisms for manipulating public opinion," Kevin Cernekee, the former employee, claimed during an interview on FOX Business’ Bulls & Bears Tuesday. "They’re constantly looking for ways to manipulate the electoral process."
Cernekee alleges the company actively does this by pulling YouTube videos and channels, censoring conservative content and pulling politicians’ ads.
With respect to President Trump, specifically, his claims went even deeper.
“People inside Google have repeatedly talked about things like remotely turning off Donald Trump’s phone to turn it into a brick – or to disable his staffers’ email accounts,” Cernekee said.
President Trump picked up on Cernekee’s claims, slamming Google CEO Sundar Pichai in a series of tweets on Tuesday, adding that his administration is watching the search giant very closely. Among the other things he hit out at the company over were claims of involvement with the Chinese military and helping Hillary Clinton in the 2016 election.
Google did not immediately return FOX Business’ request for comment regarding Cernekee’s most recent allegations, but in response to earlier comments, it said Cernekee was fired for violating company policies.
“We enforce our workplace policies without regard to political viewpoint,” a spokesperson for the company said. “Lively debate is a hallmark of Google’s workplace culture; harassment, discrimination, and the unauthorized access and theft of confidential company information is not.”
Cernekee rebuked Google’s classification of his termination.
When asked whether he thought the alleged bias at the company was implicit or explicit, he simply said workers at the company have a “very specific worldview” and don’t necessarily think “there are two sides to every issue.”
Cernekee also could not really explain whether or how potential cultural biases actually made their way into the company’s products, like its algorithm.
In addition to allegations of anti-conservative bias and potential election concerns, Google has found itself subject to a number of other recent public controversies.
This week, the search giant has come under fire for alleged discrimination against pregnant employees. In a statement, Google said it prohibits retaliation in the workplace.
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Google is the subject of a Department of Justice review over potential anti-competitive practices.
Lawmakers recently sent the company a letter about its treatment of contract and temporary workers, asking the company to change its practices.
It has been reported that Cernekee had a history of defending white nationalist ideals and organizations. He has denied those claims as “false and baseless.”