They get more male applicants than female applicants. Wouldn't that indicate different levels of interest?

That is debatable (unless debating it gets me fired).

That's facists for ya, always protesting when large companies fire people for unpopular beliefs.

I don't think he should have to be right about what causes the gender gap in order to keep his job. Or should this topic be reserved only for discussion by anonymous commenters on AVClub?

Interesting, quite a few women I know who majored in STEM fields ended up as lawyers.

It doesn't seem like he claimed that at all.

The statement from Google focuses on his views though: "In a companywide email, Google’s chief executive, Sundar Pichai, said portions of the memo had violated the company’s code of conduct and crossed the line 'by advancing harmful gender stereotypes in our workplace.'" (nytimes). It doesn't sound like he was fired…

I never suggested his firing was illegal. I don't think it was.

The chief diversity officer (CDO) is an organization’s executive level diversity and inclusion strategist.

It would be weird if the field that gives us Chief Diversity Officers was full of sexist men. I haven't done a study either, but my own experience is that men in engineering are less sexist than the average man. But I haven't met them all.

I don't know the cause, nor do I know if anyone really knows, and I think it's dangerous for all but one hypothesis to be a fireable offense.

What are some fields where the men are less sexist than in STEM?

I don't think women are worse at engineering than men. But people capable of engineering are also capable of other things and it seems like men pursue engineering professions more than women do. Look at any engineering 101 course - which selects for mere desire to be an engineer - and you will see more men than women.…

You are assuming every human wants to be an engineer. This is not so.

It's not "inferiority" to prefer other professions to engineering. It's preference.

The men you met in STEM fields were more sexist than other fields? What are the fields where the men are less sexist than those in STEM?

Choosing a profession based on how much you like the men in it is your decision, and a perfectly valid one.

It's not just about aptitude though - it's not clear men and women WANT to be engineers at the same rate. Even if men and women have exactly equal aptitudes, the desire to sit in front of a computer all day and not talk to anyone may not be apportioned equally. (or maybe it is! Don't fire me).

Literally every criticism of this memo misrepresents it. Can't you refute it without resorting to a straw man?

"Diversity" has come to mean a set of beliefs that are mandatory, whether they are true or not. Is the gender gap in engineering caused by discrimination, or inherent differences between the genders (in general)? We can't discuss this because if you question it you will be fired.