Google terminated the employment of 28 individuals who participated in protests against the company’s cloud-computing agreement with Israel, known as Project Nimbus. These employees recently organized sit-in demonstrations at two Google offices. On Tuesday, several employees were apprehended after they declined to vacate the office of Google’s Cloud CEO, Thomas Kurian, for over eight hours. The dismissal of the protestors by Google followed the arrests. According to an internal memo obtained by The Verge, Google stated that it does not condone such conduct and will not tolerate it.
Google fires 28 employees
As per a report from The Verge, Google has dismissed 28 employees for protesting against Project Nimbus. In a memo obtained by the publication, the company’s head of global security, Chris Rackow, cautioned employees against such actions and emphasized that they will not be tolerated.
The memo detailed how certain Google employees conducted sit-in protests at the company’s offices in New York and Sunnyvale. “They occupied office spaces, vandalized our property, and obstructed the work of other employees,” the memo stated.
Rackow described the behavior of these employees as “unacceptable and highly disruptive,” causing their colleagues to feel threatened. He mentioned that the employees were investigated and had their system access revoked. “Those who refused to leave were apprehended by law enforcement and escorted out of our premises,” he added.
In the announcement of the termination of 28 employees involved in the protests, Rackow’s memo stated, “After a thorough investigation, we have terminated the employment of twenty-eight individuals found to be engaged in these activities. We will continue to investigate and take necessary actions. Such behavior is incompatible with our work environment and will not be tolerated. It clearly violates multiple policies that all employees are required to follow — including our Code of Conduct and Policies on Harassment, Discrimination, Retaliation, Standards of Conduct, and Workplace Concerns.”
Rackow also highlighted that the “vast majority” of their employees “do the right thing.” He cautioned employees to consider the consequences of their actions and added, “The vast majority of our employees act in accordance with our policies. If you are among the few who believe that we will overlook misconduct that goes against our policies, think again. The company takes this matter very seriously, and we will consistently enforce our policies to address disruptive behavior — including termination if necessary.”
The No Tech for Apartheid group, a faction within Google, orchestrated the demonstrations. They have been growing more outspoken about the company’s business choices. In reaction to Google’s termination of the protesting employees, the group expressed disappointment that their concerns had been ignored by Google for three years. The group emphasized that Google employees have the right to peacefully protest labor conditions. They also stated that the firings were a clear act of retaliation.
What was the reason behind the employees’ protest?
Google employees staged a protest against the billion-dollar AI contract, Project Nimbus, signed in 2021. According to an abc7 news report, the employees believed that Project Nimbus was fueling the use of AI in the conflict in Gaza, labeling it as the first AI-powered genocide. Emaan Haseem, a protestor, expressed to abc7news that while she didn’t want to risk her job, she couldn’t ignore Project Nimbus and any support for the Israeli government. Haseem highlighted that several employees had already left the company due to their opposition to Project Nimbus. The protesters broadcasted their demonstration on Twitch, outlining their demands. These demands included Google cutting all connections with the Israeli military and government, as well as addressing what they referred to as a “health and safety crisis” among workers.