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Weekly Tech Recap: Racial, Sexual Abuse Allegations at Google's Venice Campus

Weekly Tech Recap: Racial, Sexual Abuse Allegations at Google's Venice Campus

October 09, 2021

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Google's own anti-harassment policy tells employees to "speak up if you see or hear something," but a security guard at its Venice campus says it did exactly that. And no one listened, according to a new lawsuit brought forward by employee David Brown.

In the lawsuit, Brown alleges that his supervisor called him racial and gay epithets, and physically abused him by "grabbing him on the buttocks, kicking him in the groin, throwing him through a window head first and brutally grabbing his nipples." Brown, who is Black and gay, accuses Google of not adequately responding to his complaints.

"Google, basically, they give lip service to wanting to deter discrimination and harassment, but here, when they had the opportunity to do the right thing, they struck out," V. James DeSimone, Brown's attorney, said in an interview. Read more...

👉 Just Auto Insurance. The Brentwood-based startup is testing its app in Arizona where its whole pay-per-mile insurance concept could catch on.

👉 Better Brand. The L.A. startup wants to make it safe for carb and calorie-obsessed foodies to eat bagels — which is a $1.7 billion market. The company raised $2.5 million just three months after launching.

👉 Dogdrop. The dog service startup launched out of the Santa Monica studio Science Inc. and says it is set on creating an industry "gold standard" for customer and pet experience.

👉 Jurny. Most hotels still make you wait at the front desk to check in, but this Los Angeles-based hospitality startup wants to make that process faster and easier.

🚀 Rocket Lab just clinched one of its biggest deals this week: a $24.4 million U.S. Space Force contract to develop a new and more powerful rocket. Read our Q&A with Rocket Lab CEO Peter Beck on where he intends to take the rocket company.

➡️ Investments in mental and behavioral health apps are rising. But a new company, Within Health, has launched a new app that tackles eating disorders — which it has bootstrapped entirely itself.

➡️ CarbonBuilt announced Wednesday that it's raised $10 million to grow its team and further develop its carbon capture system, which the company calls "Reversa."

➡️ It's not just Launch House. A number of co-living concepts that incubate startups are popping up across Los Angeles. Take a look at our list of the promising incubator-like houses launching new startups.

➡️ Rivian's IPO filings show that the electric vehicle startup lost about $2 billion since the start of last year.

➡️ ShotSpotter, a controversial tool that triangulates gunfire in public areas, is making its debut in Pasadena where police say they saw an uptick in gun violence in 2020.

➡️ This week, a shell company co-created by former Zillow CEO and dot.LA co-founder Spencer Rascoff revealed that it is merging with quantum computing company Rigetti in a $1.5 billion deal.

➡️ Competition for startups in Los Angeles is reaching a fever pitch. New data shows a spike in the estimated value of L.A.-based early-stage startups this year.

Need a podcast recommendation this weekend? Here are some new pods we have for you:

🎙 She was exhausted and burnt out as a lawyer; Helene Godin needed a career change. After two decades of law, Godin opened her own bakery. Find out how on this week's Behind Her Empire podcast. Listen on Stitcher, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, iHeart Radio or wherever you get your podcasts.

🎙 Josh Jones got his tech career started in college hosting internet servers. Now he's a managing partner of The Fund LA and an investor in an airline. Find out more on this week's episode of LA Venture. Want to hear more of L.A. Venture? Listen on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.

➡️ UCLA researchers have been working with Apple to see if an iPhone can detect depression and anxiety via so-called emotion recognition. The technology raises questions about privacy and accuracy.

➡️ California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Friday signed the Silenced No More Act into law, essentially giving new protections to workers who speak out about discrimination and harassment.

➡️ Members of the IATSE, the labor union that represents thousands of Hollywood film crew workers, voted to authorize union President Matthew Loeb to call a strike in the event that negotiations with studios and streaming giants break down.

➡️ Jessica Medrano, a Senior Program Manager at the Latino Donor Collaborative, writes in a new column this week about how the roadblocks Latinos face were exacerbated during the pandemic and highlights local programs that address problems like access to Wi-Fi.

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