Rich DeVaul has left Google X after a report that he propositioned a female job applicant but was allowed to keep his job after an internal investigation.
Rich DeVaul (via Twitter)
Rich DeVaul, a director at Alphabet’s Google X, the search giant’s research division, has left the company after being accused of sexual harassment.
DeVaul left the company earlier Tuesday without an exit package, a source close to the company said, confirming an earlier Axios report. DeVaul’s departure comes a week after the New York Times reported that Google paid Android creator Andy Rubin $90 million and asked for his resignation following a sexual misconduct accusation.
DeVaul’s departure comes during a period of prominent figures in industries ranging from politics to entertainment being toppled by revelations of sexual harassment or sexual assault. In the tech industry, companies like Uber have wrestled with accounts of work environments fraught with varying degrees of sexual harassment. High-profile venture capitalists like Chris Sacca and Dave McClure have been unseated, as well, over sexual harassment allegations.
DeVaul was mentioned prominently in the Times’ report about Rubin’s exit package. DeVaul propositioned a female hardware engineer during a 2013 job interview, according to the Times report. The company reportedly investigated the matter after the applicant complained and said it had taken “appropriate action,” although DeVaul remained with the company.
In a statement to the Times, DeVaul apologized for an “error of judgment.”
DeVaul couldn’t immediately be reached for comment.
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