MOUNTAIN VIEW, California: Google has agreed to pay US$50 million to settle a class-action lawsuit brought by Black employees who alleged the company systematically discriminated against them in hiring, pay, and promotions.

The lawsuit, filed in 2022 by former Google employee April Curley, accused the company of maintaining a "pattern and practice" of racial bias that steered Black workers into lower-level, lower-paid positions and exposed them to a hostile work environment if they raised concerns.

Other former employees later joined the case, which was eventually granted class-action status.

"This case is about accountability, plain and simple," said civil rights attorney Ben Crump, who represented the plaintiffs, in a statement. "For far too long, Black employees in the tech industry have faced barriers that limit opportunity. This settlement is a significant step toward holding one of the world's most powerful companies accountable and making clear that discriminatory practices cannot and will not be tolerated."

The settlement was announced in May 2025 and received final court approval this week.

When the agreement was reached, Google said it strongly disagreed with the allegations and remained "committed to paying, hiring, and leveling all employees consistently."

The lawsuit echoed years of complaints from Black employees at the company, including concerns raised by prominent artificial intelligence researcher Timnit Gebru, who said she was pushed out of Google in 2020 after a dispute over a research paper examining the societal risks of artificial intelligence.

According to the complaint, Google evaluated Black job candidates "through harmful racial stereotypes" and considered some applicants not "‘Googly' enough," which the lawsuit described as "a plain dog whistle for race discrimination."

The suit also alleged that interviewers "hazed" and undermined Black candidates and disproportionately placed them in roles with lower pay and fewer opportunities for advancement.

The settlement does not constitute an admission of liability by Google.

In addition to the financial payout, the agreement includes commitments to conduct pay equity analyses, improve pay transparency, and limit mandatory arbitration in employment disputes through at least August 2026, according to Crump.