E48: Raksha Muthukumar - Tech unions keep Big Tech in check
Tech unions are considered a rarity in Silicon Valley. So, when Google employees announced the Alphabet Workers Union (AWU), named after Google’s parent company, it ended up becoming a catalyst for white collar workers to stand up against injustices in the workplace.
Raksha Muthukumar was one of the union’s earliest members and helped in its formation. A GeorgiaTech graduate, during her work stint with Google, she saw the growing discontent among employees over Google’s sexual discrimination practices, which led to the 2018 global walk out by Google employees, and over its ethical use of technology, which saw the forced exit of Dr. Timnit Gebru, a respected figure in ethical practice of AI.
In October last year, Raksha was named as one of the 18 tech activists to watch out for by Business Insider, along with the likes of Frances Haugen who exposed Facebook’s algorithm decisions. The union itself has been extensively covered by numerous publications such as Forbes, TechCrunch, and The New York Times. So what did it take to make it happen?
You can get in touch with Raksha at https://raksha.gay/
You can reach me at maharanitalks@gmail.com or on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/maharanitalks/
MUSIC: Lights by Sappheiros https://soundcloud.com/sappheirosmusic