Report: Google shielded Andy Rubin, other ex-Google executives accused of sexual misconduct

The New York Times today published a long report into a pattern of high-profile Google executives accused of sexual misconduct quietly let go from the company, but retaining massive payouts. Named former Googlers include Andy Rubin of Android and Amit Singhal of Search.

Late last year, The Information reported that Andy Rubin had an “inappropriate relationship” while at Google that resulted in him temporarily stepping aside from Essential. According to the NYT, Rubin dated other women at the company — and sometimes under his employ at Android — while he was married to somebody that he also met at Google. One relationship that began in 2012 ultimately led to his departure in 2014.

By 2013, she had cooled on him and wanted to break things off but worried it would affect her career, said the people. That March, she agreed to meet him at a hotel, where she said he pressured her into oral sex, they said. The incident ended the relationship.

The piece also describes Rubin’s tendency to berate “subordinates as stupid or incompetent,” while other details about his behavior are lewd:

Mr. Rubin often berated subordinates as stupid or incompetent, they said. Google did little to curb that behavior. It took action only when security staff found bondage sex videos on Mr. Rubin’s work computer, said three former and current Google executives briefed on the incident. That year, the company docked his bonus, they said.

While Rubin was penalized for his actions in that incident, the NYT goes on to describe a history of bonuses, down to his firing. As Google investigated the 2013 incident a year later, the board awarded Rubin a $150 million stock grant.

The “unusually generous sum, even by Google’s standards” comes in the context of Page reportedly feeling that Rubin “was never properly compensated for his contribution to Android.” This gave the OS founder great leeway, as well as a six-month stint in 2013 of running Google’s nascent robotics division.

At the end of the day, Rubin received $90 million over four years, with the payments still ongoing and including a non-compete clause that also prevents him from criticizing Google publicly. Today’s report lays out the calculation taken by Google to minimize the fallout from executive departures.

But for senior executives, Google weighs other factors, said former executives. A wrongful termination lawsuit could mean unwanted press attention for Google and the victims of a misconduct case, with a loss resulting in significant damages.

Meanwhile, beyond Rubin, the New York Times describes a history of executives that Google investigated and found credible claims against receiving generous severance packages, or not facing termination. Meanwhile, their exits are often portrayed as mutual, with the exact nature obscured.

Google found her claim credible, they said. The company did not fire Mr. Singhal, but accepted his resignation and negotiated an exit package that paid him millions and prevented him from working for a competitor, said the people.

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