The Facebook engineer who wrote a controversial memo decrying the company's 'intolerant' culture is leaving (FB)

Brian Amerige, the Facebook engineer who sparked a firestorm at Facebook with his criticism of what he called a "political monoculture" that is "intolerant" of conservatism, is leaving the company.

In an internal message to fellow employees on Wednesday, Amerige wrote: "These problems can be solved — just not by me, not any more, at least. I care too deeply about our role in supporting free expression and intellectual diversity to even whole-heartedly attempt the product stuff anymore, and that's how I know it's time to go."

In the message, seen by Business Insider, he said he is starting a company with his friend "at the intersection of applied philosophy epistemology, specifically) and technology."

Silicon Valley, the heart of the American tech industry, is largely liberal, and has been fraught with allegations of bias in Trump's America.

In July 2017, Google found itself at the center of a political firestorm after engineer James Damore wrote an internal post decrying what he characterised as "Google's Ideological Echo Chamber," in which he attacked the company's diversity efforts. (Amerige has been described as "Facebook's aspiring James Damore.") Some conservatives also allege that social media firms are deliberately silencing and censoring nonliberal voices on their platforms.

'A political monoculture that's intolerant of different views'

In August 2018, Amerige, who identifies politically as objectivist, wrote an internal memo decrying what he described as the Silicon Valley's company's "intolerant" culture. "We are a political monoculture that's intolerant of different views ... we claim to welcome all perspectives, but are quick to attack — often in mobs — anyone who presents a view that appears to be in opposition to left-leaning ideology," we wrote.

His writing subsequently sparked an internal group, "FB'ers for Political Diversity," where hundreds of conservative employees protested the company's practices. Posters promoting the group and attacking the "outrage mob" appeared around campus, and debates among employees have broken out across Facebook Workplace over the company's approach to politics.

There have also previously been some incidents in which Facebook employees have refused to work with or talk to certain colleagues because of their political beliefs, an employee previously told Business Insider.

Amerige's last day will be on Friday, he wrote in his message. "I've been thinking about this for almost a year, and though a certain leak delayed me a bit, I know it's time for me to move on," he wrote. "I'm not leaving because 'it's time for something new.'"

'Our PR strategy is appeasement — not morally earned pride and self-defence'

He wrote: "I'm leaving because I'm burnt out on Facebook, our strategy, our culture, and our product.

"Strategically, we've taken a stance on how to balance offensive and hateful speech with free expression. We've accepted the inevitability of government regulation. And we've refused to defend ourselves in the press. Our policy strategy is pragmatism — not clear, implementable long-term principles — and our PR strategy is appeasement — not morally earned pride and self-defense."

He added: "While I remain as in love as ever with our mission and my colleague's nearly-always good intentions, I disagree too strongly with where we're heading on these issues to watch what happens next. These issues hang over my head each morning, and I don't want to spend all of my time fighting about them."

A Facebook spokesperson did not immediately respond to Business Insider's request for comment.

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