Google Workers Detained By Police for Protesting Cloud Contract with Israel
WiredApr 21
Google Fires 28 Workers for Protesting $1.2B Israel Contract
Image copyright: Noah Lovebear via Wikimedia Commons
The Facts
Google has fired 28 employees who participated in protests against the company's $1.2B contract with the Israeli government and military to provide cloud and AI services.
The protests, organized by the group No Tech for Apartheid, took place Tuesday at Google offices in New York City, Seattle, and Sunnyvale, Calif. with protesters demanding the company to drop its "Project Nimbus" contract with Israel. Nine were arrested during the protests on Tuesday.
The Spin
Narrative A
While Google is aware that Tuesday's protests were the work of a small group of people who do not represent the majority of the company's employees, it's important to note that disruptive behavior has no place in the workplace. Unprofessionalism will not be tolerated, and Google is well within its rights to act against disorderly conduct, up to and including termination.
Narrative B
These firings were illegal and retaliatory, given that the protests were peaceful. Google shouldn't be involved in any military contracts, and Project Nimbus and its association with the catastrophe taking place in Gaza are disturbing. The company clearly cares more about profit than it does about the well-being of its employees or taking an ethical stance on the role of AI in conflict and human rights.