A director of Alphabet’s experimental research and development department, Google X, has resigned following last week’s New York Times report that claimed he had sexually harassed a job applicant. Richard DeVaul is leaving without any exit package, according to a person familiar with the matter.
The New York Times story claimed Google paid some executives, such as Android creator Andy Rubin, generous compensation packages worth millions of dollars after learning of harassment allegations.
The story of DeVaul’s resignation was first reported by Axios.
DeVaul had been at the company for more than seven years and worked on “moonshot” projects like the Loon internet-connectivity balloon. Before Google, DeVaul worked at Apple as a senior prototype scientist.
According to the New York Times report, DeVaul propositioned a woman who was applying to work at the company. Google did not offer her the job, and she reported the incident to its HR department two years later. The company told the New York Times that it took “appropriate corrective actions” after receiving the complaint.
In a statement to the Times, DeVaul said he was sorry for the “error of judgement.”
CNN wasn’t immediately able to reach DeVaul for comment late Tuesday.
Google CEO Sundar Pichai sent an email to employees following the Times’ report, emphasizing the company’s commitment to “a safe and inclusive workplace.” The letter did not mention any of the accused executives by name.
Correction: An earlier version of this story misstated Richard DeVaul’s title. He was a director at Google X, but did not oversee the entire department.
