Controversies
Controversies tied to this brand in public sources. A listing is not a finding of fault.
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2021
GitHub responds to controversy over employee firing
Company response
GitHub fired an employee who had warned coworkers about Nazis. The company subsequently stated that the decision was a mistake. After an outcry and an external investigation that found significant errors of judgment and procedure, GitHub apologized and offered the employee his job back. Its head of HR resigned.
After firing an employee who warned coworkers about Nazis, GitHub said the decision was a mistake. Following an outcry and an external investigation that found significant errors of judgment and procedure, the company apologized, offered the employee his job back, and its head of HR resigned.
Company response
Apology — GitHub
Software giant Github has apologised for firing a Jewish employee who warned co-workers to be careful about Nazis.
Investigation — GitHub
Amid the outcry, the company opened an investigation with an external investigator.
Personnel action — GitHub
Our head of HR has taken personal accountability and resigned from GitHub.
Source excerpt
“In light of these findings, we immediately reversed the decision to separate with the employee and are in communication with his representative,” Brescia wrote in a blogpost. “To the employee, we wish to say publicly: we sincerely apologize.”
GitHub, a technology firm owned by Microsoft, apologized on Sunday for what its COO, Erica Brescia, called “significant errors in judgment” following outrage that it had fired an employee, who is Jewish, for warning that “Nazis” were among the pro-Donald Trump mob who attacked the US Capitol on 6 January.
In response, GitHub hired an outside firm to investigate.
2021
GitHub reverses employee firing and offers job back
Company response
After employees protested GitHub's firing of a Jewish employee over his remarks about the Capitol rioters, GitHub reversed the decision, said it should not have fired him, and offered him his job back. The head of human services for GitHub resigned.
After employees protested GitHub’s firing of a Jewish employee over his remarks about the Capitol rioters, GitHub reversed the decision, said it should not have fired him, and offered him his job back. The head of human services for GitHub resigned.
Company response
Apology — GitHub
The company has now reversed the decision and said it should not have fired the employee offering him his job back.
Remediation — GitHub
The company has now reversed the decision and said it should not have fired the employee offering him his job back.
Personnel action — GitHub
The head of human services for GitHub has resigned.
Source excerpt
The company has now reversed the decision and said it should not have fired the employee offering him his job back.
Hundreds of employees protested the firing.
2021
GitHub acknowledges firing of Jewish employee was an error
Company response
GitHub stated that the firing of a Jewish employee was an error. According to the report, the company's head of human resources would resign. The event was reported on January 17, 2021.
GitHub said that firing the employee was an error. The article reports that the company's human resources head would resign.
Company response
Clarification — GitHub
GitHub 官方博客发文表示解雇这名员工是“错误之举”
Source excerpt
2021 年 1 月 17 日，在犹太员工被辞退的数天后，GitHub 官方博客发文表示解雇这名员工是“错误之举”
2021
GitHub Faces Employee Backlash Over Employee Termination
Public backlash
GitHub faced internal employee backlash after terminating a Jewish employee who had warned coworkers that Nazis were in the Washington, DC, area. About 200 employees signed an open letter seeking answers about the firing. GitHub CEO Nat Friedman said the company was looking into the circumstances and would take appropriate action after an investigation.
Company response
Investigation — GitHub
In response to the letter, GitHub CEO Nat Friedman sent a message on Monday to employees to denounce the siege on the Capitol. In the message, viewed by Insider, Friedman also said the company was looking into the circumstances surrounding the employee's termination and "will take any and all appropriate action following a thorough investigation."
Source excerpt
About 200 of its about 1,700 employees signed on to an open letter asking management for answers about the firing of that employee, a source said.
In the message, viewed by Insider, Friedman also said the company was looking into the circumstances surrounding the employee's termination and "will take any and all appropriate action following a thorough investigation."
Now GitHub is facing internal backlash, according to three people familiar with the situation.
2020
GitHub Enterprise Server source-code disclosure
Source code associated with GitHub Enterprise Server was published online in the context of a DMCA dispute. GitHub stated that the code had been accidentally shared with Enterprise customers and was not taken from production servers.
2014
Harassment allegations and executive resignation
Harassment allegations involving co-founder and CEO Tom Preston-Werner and his wife, Theresa, led to an investigation, Preston-Werner’s resignation, and organizational changes at GitHub.