Inside Google’s Black Googler Network | Google x Native Land Pod (Live at AfroTech)

On this special live episode of Native Land Pod, co-hosts Angela Rye and Tiffany Cross sit down with leaders from Google to spotlight the work of the Black Googler Network (BGN) and explore what it truly looks like to build sustainable, authentic careers in tech.

In partnership with Google, this conversation features the session “The Next Wave of Rising Tech Talent,” highlighting how BGN and the Black Leadership Advisory Group support Black professionals, shape inclusive product development, and expand access to opportunity across the tech industry. Angela and Tiffany are joined by:

Grant Bennett, Program Manager for External Partnerships and Experiences at Google

Dei Robinson, Site Reliability Engineer and former BGN Global Co-Chair

EJ Stancil, Community Engagement Manager for African, BGN, and the Black Leadership Advisory Group

Together, they discuss real pathways into tech, the power of Employee Resource Groups, navigating imposter syndrome and burnout, and the importance of showing up as your full self in spaces that were not originally built with us in mind. The conversation underscores how BGN creates community, drives belonging, and contributes meaningfully to the products and platforms used by billions of people around the world.

This episode was recorded live at AfroTech in Houston, Texas, one of the largest gatherings of Black technologists, innovators, entrepreneurs, and visionaries. Founded in 2016 by Blavity Inc., AfroTech exists to inspire future Black leaders in an industry where representation remains limited. Despite making up nearly 12 percent of the U.S. workforce, Black professionals account for just 7.4 percent of the high-tech workforce and 5.7 percent of high-tech managers, according to the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.

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Thank you to the Native Land Pod team:

Angela Rye as host, executive producer, and cofounder of Reasoned Choice Media; Tiffany Cross as host and producer, Andrew Gillum as host and producer, Bakari Sellers as host and producer, and Lauren Hansen as executive producer; LoLo Smith is our research producer, and Nikolas Harter is our editor and producer. Special thanks to Chris Morrow and Lenard McKelvey, co-founders of Reasoned Choice Media.

Theme music created by Daniel Laurent.