Google has reportedly agreed to a $28 million settlement to resolve a class action lawsuit alleging that the tech giant systematically favoured white and Asian employees, providing them with higher pay and accelerated career advancement opportunities compared to other workers. The preliminary approval of this agreement, involving Google, a subsidiary of Alphabet, was granted last week.
According to news agency Reuters, the judge deemed the settlement to be fair, reasonable, and “a good result for the class” of at least 6,632 Google employees in California who were employed between February 15, 2018, and December 31, 2024.

Google says it disagrees with the allegations

Courtenay Mencini, a spokesperson for Google, confirmed the settlement, while simultaneously expressing the company’s continued disagreement with the allegations.
“We continue to disagree with the allegations that we treated anyone differently, and remain committed to paying, hiring and leveling all employees fairly,” Mencini stated.
The lawsuit was spearheaded by Ana Cantu, who identifies as Mexican and racially Indigenous, and was filed on behalf of Hispanic, Latinx, Indigenous, Native American, American Indian, Native Hawaiian, Pacific Islander and Alaska Native employees at Google.
Cantu asserted that despite seven years of exemplary performance in Google’s people operations and cloud departments, she remained stagnant at the same job level, while her white and Asian colleagues received additional compensation and promotions.
According to Cantu, the Mountain View, California-based company routinely placed white and Asian employees in higher job “levels” than other employees, even when they performed identical work.
She also alleged that the company withheld salary increases and promotions from employees who voiced complaints about these practices.
The net settlement proceeds, after deductions, amount to $20.4 million. This figure reflects the subtraction of $7 million for legal fees and penalties related to Cantu’s claim under California’s Private Attorneys General Act.