Google cancels town hall meeting about controversial anti-diversity memo

[…] At the opening of an awards ceremony for a worldwide app-building competition for girls, Pichai made a remark clearly aimed at the controversy over Damore’s memo.

“To the girls who dream of being an engineer or an entrepreneur, and who dream of creating amazing things, I want you to know that there’s a place for you in this industry, there’s a place for you at Google,” he told the crowd gathered at a company recreation field.

“Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise,” he said to cheers and applause. “You belong here and we need you.”

Pichai told the audience, which included about 50 contest finalists from seven countries including the U.S., that seeing the girls gave him hope for the future.

“At Google we are very committed to building products for everyone in the world,” Pichai said. “To do that well, we really need to have people internally who represent the world in totality.

“It’s really important that more women and girls have the opportunity to participate in technology, to learn how to code, create and innovate.”