Sunnyvale, California – Google terminated twenty-eight employees who took part in protests against Project Nimbus, a $1.2 billion cloud contract with Israel that also involves Amazon. The protesting workers expressed concerns that the technology supplied as part of the deal could be used by Israel’s security forces to harm Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank, as reported by sources like The Intercept and Time.
The firings came following incidents where nine employees were detained by police for staging sit-in protests at Google offices in Sunnyvale and New York. Google confirmed the dismissals, stating that the employees were found guilty of obstructing the work of others and refusing to vacate the premises despite multiple requests. The company emphasized that the Nimbus contract is not aimed at classified or military activities.
The protests were fuelled by the escalating conflict between the Israel Defence Forces and Hamas, with the reported death toll exceeding 34,000 Palestinians. The sit-ins at Google were part of a larger demonstration involving over 100 people, including many Google employees, outside various company locations in solidarity against Project Nimbus.
Jane Chung, a spokesperson for No Tech for Apartheid, a coalition organizing the protests, expressed disappointment in Google’s response to the actions of the fired employees. She highlighted that some of those dismissed had only participated in peaceful outdoor protests or were providing support to the demonstrators.
Zelda Montes, a former YouTube software engineer who was arrested during an extended occupation of Google’s New York office, accused the company of violating US labor protections. Montes criticized Google for prioritizing punishing employees over addressing the potential negative impacts of their technology on individuals.
Despite Google’s assertion that the Nimbus contract does not involve work relevant to weaponry or intelligence services, the protests reveal ongoing tensions within the company over its business dealings with controversial entities. The demonstrations underscore a broader trend of tech workers advocating for ethical considerations in the development and deployment of new technologies.