Google CEO encourages girls in tech at Technovation Award Ceremony in Mountain View

Google CEO Sundar Pichai addressed the girls at the Technovation Awards Ceremony in Mountain View. “I want you to know there’s a place for you in this industry,” he said. “There’s a place for you at Google. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.”

His words came hours after he canceled a company-wide meeting on gender issues.

The town hall, scheduled in the aftermath of a controversial memo on gender diversity, would have addressed the controversy.

“We should recognize that some women are different than men in these ways,” Damore said.

He wrote that women are not equally represented in tech for biological reasons.

Google Vice President for Education Maggie Johnson said, “It’s definitely a defining moment for Google and our culture.”

She believes in the power of programs like Technovation.

“I think what’s really inspiring is they did this on their own — basically,” Johnson added.

The girls at the conference came from all over the world, creating apps to solve a global problem.