John Paul M. Joaquin Tech 06.19.2022 23:Jun PM EDT

A Google Contractor Alleges He's Been Fired for Calling Out Cult Activity

Google seems to be under scrutiny after a former employee filed a lawsuit against it.

A former Google employee has recently filed a lawsuit against Google for wrongful termination, stating that he was fired for calling out a religious sect within the company's developer studio for its influence, per The New York Times.

The religious sect in question was previously the subject of public outrage and criticism before, with the former Google employee's lawsuit being the latest.

Google Developer Studio Religious Sect Activities

Kevin Lloyd, the former employee in question, alleges in his lawsuit that at least 12 members of an obscure religious sect known as the "Fellowship of Friends" (FoF) hold an inappropriate level of influence within the company.

He also claims that he was wrongly terminated from his job as a contracted video producer for Google Developer Studio for calling out the religious sect's behavior within the company.

Lloyd also included his contracting agency, Advanced Systems Group (ASG), in his lawsuit.

According to Lloyd's lawsuit, as many as 12 FoF members and close relatives worked for the Google Developer Studio (GDS), which is responsible for producing videos featuring the company's technologies.

Meanwhile, other members became staff for company events, registration desks, taking photographs, playing music, and providing massages. Google also has an event wherein it serves wine that was bought from an Oregon House winery owned by a member of the Fellowship.

The FoF's influence could also be evidenced by the statement of another contractor, Erik Johanson, who told the New York Times that Google's partnership with ASG enabled the FoF members within the GDS team to bring more of its members into the company.

Johanson said that FoF members that want to become contractors are hired "with far less scrutiny and a far less rigorous on-boarding process.

What The Fellowship of Friends Is

The FoF is a group founded in 1970 by Rober Earl Burton, a former San Francisco Bay Area school teacher. It is a group that believes "higher consciousness can be achieved by embracing fine arts and culture" and that it is available to anyone interested in "pursuing the spiritual work of awakening."

The religious sect claims to have as many as 1,500 members worldwide, with 500 or 600 in and around its 1,200-acre compound in Oregon House.

Members are typically required to give 10% of their monthly earnings to the organization.

Burton and the FoF based their teachings on "the Fourth Way," a philosophy that believes while most people moved through life in a state of "waking sleep," a higher consciousness was possible through embracing the fine arts.

Jennings Brown mentioned in their podcast about the FoF called "Revelations" that the Fellowship believes that to achieve enlightenment, one should surround themselves with "high impressions," or what Burton believes to be the "finest things in life."

Google And ASG's Reaction

Google spokesperson Courtenay Mencini said that Google has a longstanding employee and supplier policies to prevent discrimination and conflicts of interest, which it takes seriously.

Mencini also added that it is against the law to ask for the religious affiliations of those who work for them or its suppliers, but Google will look into the allegations Lloyd presented in his lawsuit thoroughly for "any irregularities or improper contracting practices."

"If we find evidence of policy violations, we will take action," Mencini said on behalf of Google.

However, The Verge mentioned in its article that Google found that it fired Lloyd for "performance issues."

Meanwhile, ASG's president, Dave Van Hoy, said in a statement that his company continues to deny Lloyd's allegations and expects that ASG will be vindicated in court soon.