Google’s recent decision to remove cultural events from its calendar in 2021 has sparked controversy and raised questions about inclusivity and diversity in tech. The tech giant eliminated events like Black History Month, Pride Month, Jewish Heritage, Indigenous People Month, Holocaust Remembrance Day, and Hispanic Heritage Month from the default calendar display. This move was confirmed by Google spokesperson Madison Cushman Veld in a statement to TechCrunch, explaining that the app now only shows public holidays or national observances according to timeanddate.com.
Google’s Calendar Changes and User Feedback
According to Veld, the Calendar team had previously manually added a wide range of cultural moments from various countries worldwide. However, feedback indicated that some events and countries were missing from the calendar. Maintaining hundreds of cultural moments globally in a consistent and manual manner was deemed unsustainable and challenging. As a result, Google made the decision to revert to displaying only public holidays and national observances automatically on the calendar. Users still have the option to manually add other significant events to their personal calendars.
The timing of Google’s calendar update coincided with another notable change – the renaming of the Gulf of Mexico to the “Gulf of America” for U.S. users. This alteration was in compliance with an executive order from the Trump administration. While the reasons for these changes are not entirely clear, some users have only recently taken notice. These adjustments come amid a broader trend of major tech companies reassessing or ending diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives. Meta, Google, and Amazon have all announced changes to their DEI programs, with the latter two even modifying their financial filings to omit references to DEI.
Expert Insights on Tech Industry Trends
Dominic-Madori Davis, a respected senior venture capital and startup reporter at TechCrunch based in New York City, has been closely following these developments. In light of the recent shifts in DEI measures at prominent tech companies, Davis emphasizes the importance of understanding the broader implications for diversity and inclusion in the industry. She notes that while some tech giants are pivoting away from specific DEI programs, the overall commitment to diversity remains a critical issue for the tech sector as a whole.
As the tech industry continues to evolve and respond to changing societal expectations, the decisions made by companies like Google have far-reaching consequences. The removal of cultural events from the default calendar may seem like a minor adjustment, but it reflects larger debates around representation, recognition, and inclusivity in the digital sphere. By engaging in these conversations and closely examining the impact of such decisions, tech companies can strive to create more inclusive and equitable environments for all users.
Dominic-Madori Davis’s expertise and insights shed light on the complexities of these industry shifts, underscoring the need for ongoing dialogue and reflection within the tech community. As users navigate these changes in their digital experiences, understanding the broader context and implications of these decisions is crucial for fostering a more inclusive and diverse tech landscape. Through thoughtful analysis and engagement with these issues, stakeholders can work towards creating a tech industry that reflects the diversity and richness of the world it serves.
