Google has agreed to pay $28 million (£21.5 million) to settle a lawsuit claiming it paid white and Asian employees better salaries and gave them more career opportunities than workers from other ethnic backgrounds. The law firm representing the employees announced the settlement, but Google denies the allegations.
The technology giant confirmed it had “reached a resolution” but insisted it never discriminated against its workers.
Lawsuit Claims Unequal Pay and Career Progression
Former Google employee Ana Cantu filed the lawsuit in 2021. She alleged that Hispanic, Latino, Native American, and other employees started with lower salaries and job levels compared to their white and Asian colleagues.
The lawsuit relied on a leaked internal document that allegedly showed workers from certain ethnic backgrounds earned less for doing similar work. According to Cantu’s lawyers, Google’s practice of setting pay and job level based on previous salaries contributed to historical wage gaps tied to race and ethnicity.
Judge Charles Adams of the Santa Clara County Superior Court in California has given preliminary approval to the settlement.
The class-action lawsuit represents at least 6,632 people who worked at Google between February 15, 2018, and December 31, 2024, according to Reuters.
Employees and Lawyers Speak Out
Cathy Coble, one of the attorneys representing the workers, praised the “bravery of diverse and ally Googlers who self-reported their pay and exposed the data to the media.” She stressed that “pay inequities remain hidden without collective action from employees.”
Despite the settlement, Google continues to deny any wrongdoing. “We reached a resolution but continue to reject the claims that we treated anyone unfairly. We remain committed to paying, hiring, and promoting employees equitably,” said a Google spokesperson.
Earlier this year, Google joined other major U.S. companies in scaling back their diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives. Meta, Amazon, Pepsi, McDonald’s, and Walmart have also reduced their DEI programs.
This shift follows ongoing criticism of DEI policies by U.S. President Donald Trump and his supporters. Since returning to the White House, Trump has instructed government agencies and contractors to eliminate such initiatives.