STANDPOINT, BUT ACTUALLY WORKING
HARD BEHIND THE SCENES TO STAND
THE UP FOR WHAT'S RIGHT.
TRISH: OH, MY GOSH, WHO COULD
FORGET THAT VIDEO OF GOOGLE
EXECUTIVES REACTING TO HILLARY
CLINTON'S 2016 LOSS?
NOW A CONSERVATIVE SOFTWARE
ENGINEER AT THE COMPANY IS
EXPOSING WHAT HE CALLS THE
CULTURE OF LEFT-WING, QUOTE,
OUTRAGE MOBS THAT STIFLE FREE
SPEECH.
THAT ENGINEER, MR. MIKE WACKER,
WARNS, AND I QUOTE, IF LEFT
UNCHECKED, THESE OUTRAGED MOBS
WILL HUNT DOWN ANY CONSERVATIVE,
ANY CHRISTIAN AND ANY
INDEPENDENT FREE THINKER AT
GOOGLE WHO DOES NOT BOW DOWN TO
THEIR AGENDA.
WE HAVE REACHED OUT TO GOOGLE TO
COMMENT ABOUT THIS, AND THEY DID
NOT PROVIDE US WITH A STATEMENT.
BUT JOINING ME RIGHT NOW
EXCLUSIVELY IS CONSERVATIVE
GOOGLE ENGINEER MIKE WACKER.
MIKE, WELCOME.
>> THANK YOU.
TRISH: STILL WORK THERE?
>> RIGHT NOW, YES.
[LAUGHTER]
TRISH: WELL, YOU'RE A BRAVE MAN.
>> THANK YOU.
TRISH: WHAT'S IT LIKE?
BEING A CONSERVATIVE AT GOOGLE?
>> IT IS REALLY ROUGH.
LIKE, I'VE BEEN THROUGH THE
EXPERIENCE OF COLLEGE OF KIND OF
BEING IN THE VIEWPOINT MINORITY
AND KIND OF BEING THE OUTLIER
POLITICALLY.
LIKE, BACK THEN I USED TO JOKE I
WAS IN A HOSTILE ENVIRONMENT,
AND THEN GOOGLE BY COMPARISON,
IT REALLY IS A HOSTILE
ENVIRONMENT.
TRISH: HOW SO?
I MEAN, WE'VE SEEN THE TAPE,
RIGHT?
WE SAW 2016, YOU KNOW, THE DAY
AFTER THE ELECTION, OBVIOUSLY,
THE EXECUTIVES WERE EXTREMELY
UPSET.
BUT TALK TO ME SPECIFICALLY
ABOUT THE HOSTILITY YOU FEEL
THAT YOU FACE EVERY DAY.
>> I THINK THE MAIN THING IS
SOMETIMES IT'S JUST HARD TO
AVOID KIND OF THE HOSTILITY TO
CONSERVATIVE VIEWS OF THE
COMPANY.
LIKE YOU CHECK, LIKE, I DON'T
KNOW, ANYWHERE YOU TO IT'S LIKE,
YOU GO TO LUNCH, THERE'S
POLITICAL DISCUSSIONS.
I MEAN, YEAH, THERE'S ALWAYS
SOME SORT OF OUTRAGE MOB ABOUT
WHETHER IT'S SOME TOPIC --
TRISH: SO WHAT DO YOU DO IN
THOSE CASES?
>> WHAT DO YOU DO IN THOSE
CASES?
I MEAN, IT'S SO HARD A. AT THE
ONE POINT IT'S LIKE THESE
OUTRAGE MOBS ARE SO HOSTILE, YOU
KIND OF WANT TO PUSH BACK, SAY,
HEY, MAYBE --
[INAUDIBLE]
IF YOU PUSH BACK, THEY CAN TURN
ON YOU.
TRISH: WHAT DO YOU MEAN BY TURN
ON AND MOBS AND OUTRAGE MOBS AND
SORT OF WITCH HUNTS THAT YOU
TALK ABOUT?
I MEAN, ARE THEY LOOKING FOR
YOU?
ARE THEY LOOKING TO FIND ANYBODY
THAT DISAGREES WITH THEIR
POLITICAL VIEWPOINT AND EXPOSE
YOU IN A WAY THAT WOULD BE
DETRIMENTAL TO YOUR CAREER?
>> IT'S VERY SIMILAR TO A LOT OF
THE OUTRAGE MOBS YOU'VE KIND OF
SEEN ON COLLEGE CAMPUSES WHERE
IT'S SO HARD TO PREDICT WHAT'S
GOING TO GET THEM OFFENDED NEXT.
LIKE, I SAW ONE INSTANCE WHERE
ANOTHER EMPLOYEE, LIKE, HE
SHARED A NATIONAL REVIEW
ARTICLE, AND THEN HE GOT
REPORTED TO H.R. FOR THAT.
TRISH: AT GOOGLE?
>> YOU DON'T KNOW -- YEAH.
YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT'S GOING TO
OFFEND SOMEBODY NEXT.
AND A LOT OF TIMES THEY'RE GOING
TO H.R., LIKE, OVER THESE
TRIVIAL THINGS.
TRISH: HAVE YOU BEEN TO H.R.?
HAVE YOU SAID, HEY, I DON'T FEEL
LIKE IT'S FAIR HERE?
>> I'VE SAID THINGS TO THEM.
I MEAN, I'VE KIND OF EVEN SEEN,
LIKE, ONE PERSON HE MADE
EMPLOYMENT THREATS.
HE BASICALLY SAID ANYONE WHO
KIND OF SHARES THE VIEWS OF --
[INAUDIBLE]
HERITAGE FOUNDATION, YOU SHOULD
KEEP THESE TO YOURSELF OR GET
OUT OF THE COMPANY.
SAID SOMETHING TO H.R., I SAID
WE'RE GETTING INTO THE REALM OF
EMPLOYMENT THREATS RIGHT HERE,
AND THAT'S NOT RIGHT.
THEY DIDN'T REALLY DO ANYTHING.
THEY SAID, OH, IT DOESN'T A
APPEAR TO VIOLATE GOOGLE'S
POLICIES.
YOU OFFEND SOMEONE AT THE
COMPANY, THEN YOU CAN GET IN
TROUBLE WITH H.R --
TRISH: LOOK, WE ALL BELIEVE IN
THE FREEDOM OF SPEECH AND
EVERYBODY'S ENTITLED TO HAVE
THEIR OPINION, BUT I THINK --
AND I'M CURIOUS TO GET YOUR
THOUGHTS, MIKE -- I THINK, YOU
KNOW, THE MARK OF A GREAT
COMPANY IS ACTUALLY HAVING
DIVERSITY, INCLUDING
INTELLECTUAL DIVERSITY.
AND GOOGLE WILL BE MUCH BETTER
SERVED TO WELCOME DIFFERENT
OPINIONS AT THE TABLE.
I MEAN, IF YOU'RE REALLY GOING
TO SUCCEED, YOU NEED TO BE
THINKING THROUGH ALL ANGLES ON
ANY GIVEN THING.
AND THE FACT THAT THEY'RE NOT
WILLING TO TOLERATE -- IF
THAT'S, IN FACT, THE CASE -- A
DIVERSITY OF OPINION, IT'S
PRETTY DISCOURAGING.
AND I HOPE, BECAUSE I BELIEVE IN
A MARKET ECONOMY AND
INTELLECTUAL DIVERSITY, I HOPE,
ULTIMATELY, SERVES TO HOLD THEM
BACK.
FINISH BUT WHAT'S YOUR FUTURE
LIKE THERE?
>> MY FUTURE?
I JUST KIND OF GO DAY BY DAY.
TO BE QUITE HONEST.
I MEAN, I COME, I'M LIKE, OH,
I'M HERE ANOTHER DAY.
THANK QUOD FOR THAT.
TRISH: AND THIS IS YOUR FIRST
NATIONAL TELEVISION INTERVIEW.
>> YEAH.
A LITTLE NERVE-WRACKING, BUT I'M
HERE.
TRISH: HOW'S THAT GOING TO GO
OVER TOMORROW?
>> TOMORROW, I'VE NOT THOUGHT
THAT FAR AHEAD YET.
[LAUGHTER]
I MEAN, WELL --
TRISH: YOU MAY WANT TO!
[LAUGHTER]
>> I MEAN, I WAS VERY THOUGHTFUL
IN DECIDING WHETHER I WANTED TO
DO THE INTERVIEW OR NOT.
IT WAS JUST FOCUS ON THE
INTERVIEW AND DON'T WORRY ABOUT
ANYTHING ELSE.
TRISH: YOU'RE DOING A GREAT JOB.
>> THANK YOU.
TRISH: I KNOW IT TAKES SOME
COURAGE TO GET OUT THERE IN