GitHub admits that ‘significant errors of judgment and procedure’ led to firing of Jewish employee
GitHub has issued public and private apologies for a controversial incident involving an employee getting fired.
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Microsoft-owned GitHub admitted that “significant errors of judgment and procedure” occurred that led to the firing of a Jewish employee who warned people about Nazis. The company issued apublic apologyand has offered the person their job back, according toThe Verge. GitHub’s head of HR, Carrie Olesen, has also resigned as part of an effort to “[take] personal accountability” for the situation.
GitHub met criticismwhen an employee warned coworkers about Nazis at the U.S. Capitol building. The employee stated, “stay safe homies, Nazis are about” in a Slack channel at GitHub. A coworker took offense at the word Nazi and reported the message to GitHub’s HR department. The poster of the word Nazi was later fired.
Close to 200 GitHub employees signed an open letter asking about the situation. Additionally, people in GitHub’s Slack channels started using the word Nazi frequently following the event.The Vergeshared several screenshots of GitHub’s Slack channels surrounding the incident.
GitHub’s CEO, Nat Friedman sent an internal message to employees on January 16, stating:
Yesterday evening, the investigation reached the conclusion that significant mistakes were made that are not consistent with our internal practices or the judgement we expect from our leaders.
GitHub also offered a public apology to the fired employee and is offering them their job back.
In light of these findings, we immediately reversed the decision to separate with the employee and are in communication with his representative.To the employee we wish to say publicly: we sincerely apologize.
The public apology includes several statements on the issue that were shared internally:
GitHub’s move came after the company hired an independent law firm to investigate the person’s termination of employment. The investigation found that “significant mistakes were made.”
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Sean Endicott is a tech journalist at Windows Central, specializing in Windows, Microsoft software, AI, and PCs. He’s covered major launches, from Windows 10 and 11 to the rise of AI tools like ChatGPT. Sean’s journey began with the Lumia 740, leading to strong ties with app developers. Outside writing, he coaches American football, utilizing Microsoft services to manage his team. He studied broadcast journalism at Nottingham Trent University and is active on X @SeanEndicott_ and Threads @sean_endicott_.
