Liz Fong-Jones facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Liz Fong-Jones
Fong-Jones in 2020
Born	1987 (age 37–38)
Alma mater	Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Occupation	Systems engineer, developer advocate
Years active	2008–present
Employer	Google, Honeycomb
Known for	Labor activism

Liz Fong-Jones (born in 1987) is a software engineer and a strong voice for workers' rights. She is known for helping to organize workers at Google and for her work in making the tech industry a fairer place. She is a leader at the software company Honeycomb.

Education and Early Career

Fong-Jones began college at the California Institute of Technology in 2005. She later graduated from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in 2014 with a degree in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science.

Her first job in the tech world was providing technical support for a large online game. Many of her family members are also engineers, and she followed a similar path.

Working at Google

In 2008, Fong-Jones joined Google as a systems administrator. She later became a site reliability engineer. This type of engineer makes sure that websites and online services work correctly without crashing.

Speaking Up for Others

Fong-Jones quickly became an advocate for fairness at Google. She worked to fix problems in Google's products that made them difficult for people with disabilities to use. She also spoke up for other employees on issues like fair pay and healthcare.

In 2011, when Google was about to launch its Google+ social network, it planned to make users use their real names. Fong-Jones and her coworkers worried this could be unsafe for some people. She successfully argued against the policy, becoming like an unofficial representative for her fellow workers.

In 2016, she helped with the "Never Again pledge." This was a promise signed by tech workers that they would not help build technology designed to harm people.

A Time of Conflict

In 2017, a male employee at Google wrote a memo that was widely criticized. The memo claimed that women were less suited for tech jobs. After the employee was fired, Fong-Jones and other employees who spoke out against the memo were targeted with online bullying.

She and other employees filed complaints. They felt that Google did not do enough to protect them from the online attacks. This experience led Fong-Jones to help her coworkers learn about their legal rights as employees. They started a petition asking for a safer work environment, which thousands of employees signed.

The Google Walkout

In 2018, many Google employees became concerned about two major issues.

First, they learned about Project Maven. This was a project with the U.S. military to use artificial intelligence (AI) to analyze drone footage. Fong-Jones and others worried that Google's technology could be used for weapons. They wrote petitions and spoke out. In response, Google promised not to use AI for weapons and did not renew the contract.

Second, news reports said Google had not handled cases of workplace misconduct properly. This made many employees feel that the company did not protect victims.

On November 1, 2018, about 20,000 Google employees around the world walked out of their offices. They were protesting the company's handling of these issues. This event was called the Google Walkout for Real Change.

Leaving Google

Fong-Jones continued to push for change at Google. She threatened to resign unless the company agreed to appoint an employee to its board of directors, which was one of the walkout demands.

In January 2019, she officially resigned from Google. She said she wanted to work toward creating a "more just world." She donated the money she received upon leaving to help other workers who were organizing for better conditions.

Career After Google

In February 2019, Fong-Jones joined a startup company called Honeycomb. She works there as a developer advocate, helping other engineers learn how to use Honeycomb's tools. She is now the company's Field Chief Technology Officer.

The Solidarity Fund

After the Google walkout, Fong-Jones wanted to create a fund to support tech workers who speak up about problems at their jobs. She used her own money to start a strike fund.

In 2020, this idea grew into The Solidarity Fund. It is run by the group Coworker.org. The fund gives money to tech workers who are involved in organizing for better workplaces. Fong-Jones is the president of the fund's board.

Taking a Stand Against Online Bullying

In 2023, Fong-Jones filed a lawsuit against a company connected to Kiwi Farms, an online forum known for organizing harassment campaigns. The forum had targeted her and other LGBTQ people. In October 2023, a court ordered the company to pay Fong-Jones for the damages caused.

Personal Life

Fong-Jones is transgender. She has said that she began her gender transition as a teenager. Her family was not supportive at first. She has used a large part of her income over the years to help support other trans people.