GitLab—GitLab implemented hiring ban for China and Russia residents citing espionage fears
In October 2019, GitLab decided to block new hires from China and Russia for Site Reliability Engineer and Support Engineer roles that handle customer data, citing enterprise customer concerns about espionage. Internal employees publicly opposed the move as discriminatory. Director of global risk Candice Ciresi called it incompatible with GitLab's values, and IT admin Keith Snape called it 'distressing' discrimination.
Scoring Impact
| Topic | Direction | Relevance | Contribution |
|---|---|---|---|
| DEI Programs | -against | primary | -1.00 |
| Worker Rights | -against | secondary | -0.50 |
| Overall incident score = | -0.643 | ||
Score = avg(topic contributions) × significance (high ×1.5) × confidence (0.57)
Evidence (1 signal)
GitLab mulled ban on hiring Chinese and Russian support staff
The Register reported that GitLab considered and implemented a country-of-residence block for new hires from China and Russia in support roles, citing enterprise customer espionage concerns. Internal employees publicly opposed the decision.