Google promises to release minority hiring figures, as activists protest outside shareholder meeting

Prodded by the Rev. Jesse Jackson, Google said that it will reverse a long-held stance and reveal publicly how many minority workers are employed by the giant Internet company, in a report next month.

"We're working very hard. We're not doing enough and we can do better," said David Drummond, the company's chief legal officer, after Jackson attended Google's annual shareholder meeting and urged top executives to provide more opportunities for blacks, Latinos and other minorities. Before Jackson spoke about the low number of minorities in Silicon Valley's executive suites and boards, a small crowd rallied in front of Google headquarters to protest the company's ties with conservative business groups, such as the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the American Legislative Exchange Council or ALEC, which have angered environmentalists by opposing alternative energy and climate-change rules.