Google terminated 28 employees on Wednesday, in the wake of ongoing protests concerning labor conditions and the company’s contract with the Israeli government and military for cloud computing and artificial intelligence services.
The decision follows a sit-in protest staged by nine Google workers at the company’s offices in New York and Sunnyvale, California, where they were subsequently arrested on trespassing charges. Among the protesters was a demonstration in the office of Google Cloud CEO Thomas Kurian.
In a memo addressed to Google employees, Chris Rackow, Google’s Vice President of Global Security, confirmed the terminations, stating, “following investigation, today we terminated the employment of twenty-eight employees found to be involved. We will continue to investigate and take action as needed.”
The protests were organized by the “No Tech for Apartheid” organization, focusing on Project Nimbus—a $1.2 billion contract between Google, Amazon, and the Israeli government for cloud computing services, including artificial intelligence tools and data centers.
Responding to the terminations, the “No Tech for Apartheid” organization issued a statement condemning Google’s actions, alleging that the firings were retaliatory and unjustified.
Google’s contract with the Israeli government has been a point of contention among employees, with some expressing concerns over the ethical implications of providing technology to support military operations.
Google spokesperson emphasized that the company’s cloud computing services to governments, including the Israeli government, do not involve highly sensitive or classified military workloads relevant to weapons or intelligence services.
The protests underscore the growing internal dissent within Google over its involvement in military contracts and the ethical considerations surrounding the use of its technology for military purposes.
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