Google has implemented significant changes to its calendar features and diversity hiring goals, reflecting shifts in the political climate within the United States. In mid-2024, the tech giant decided to remove several key observances from its calendar product, including the start of Black History Month on February 1 and Women’s History Month on March 1. These updates have sparked discussions among users and observers about the company’s commitment to diversity and inclusion.
The adjustments to Google’s calendar features mean that the start dates for Indigenous Peoples Month, previously marked on November 1, and LGBTQ+ Pride Month, formerly noted on June 1, will no longer appear in 2025. Users who noticed these changes expressed their concerns through comments on Google’s user support web pages and social media platforms. Google’s spokesperson addressed these changes, explaining that they were made midway through the previous year.
“We got feedback that some other events and countries were missing — and maintaining hundreds of moments manually and consistently globally wasn’t scalable or sustainable,” a spokesperson for Google explained.
Google’s Streamlined Approach to Global Observances
To address these challenges, Google decided to revert to a more streamlined approach. The company now displays only public holidays and national observances sourced globally from timeanddate.com, a Norway-based organization with 40 employees. This decision allows users the flexibility to manually add other significant events they wish to observe.
“[Google] returned to showing only public holidays and national observances from timeanddate.com globally, while allowing users to manually add other important moments,” a Google spokesperson noted.
In addition to calendar changes, Google announced plans to rename geographical locations in response to government updates. The Gulf of Mexico will be referred to as the “Gulf of America” on Google Maps following updates from the Trump administration’s official government sources. Similarly, Google plans to use the name “Mount McKinley” for the Alaskan mountain currently called Denali.
These changes are part of Google’s broader response to user feedback indicating that certain events and countries were not consistently represented. The company aims to provide a more scalable solution while enabling users to personalize their calendar experience.
Author’s Opinion
Google’s decision to remove observances like Black History Month and LGBTQ+ Pride Month from its calendar raises questions about the company’s commitment to diversity and inclusion. While the shift to a more streamlined approach may have been driven by the need for scalability, it risks undermining efforts to highlight important cultural and historical moments. This move could potentially alienate users who rely on these observances to stay informed and engaged with diverse communities. The broader decision to rename geographical locations also appears to align more with political shifts than with user-centered needs, complicating Google’s position in the ongoing dialogue about corporate responsibility and inclusivity.
Featured image credit: Embajada de los Estados Unidos en Uruguay via Flickr
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