Google has faced backlash from its employees over a controversial $1.2 billion cloud computing contract with Israel. More than two dozen employees were fired after holding protests at Google’s campuses in New York City and Sunnyvale, California organized by No Tech for Apartheid. The protests were against Project Nimbus, a joint contract with Amazon to provide AI and cloud services to the Israeli government and military. Google fired 28 employees following the protests and arrests of nine employees by the police. The company cited unacceptable behavior and violations of multiple policies as reasons for the firings.
The NTFA confirmed retaliatory firings and arrests, claiming that some fired workers did not even directly participate in the protest. The organization denied Google’s allegations of property defacement and work impediment, and pushed back against the claim that protesters were not largely company employees. The protestors were supported by thousands of colleagues who called on Google to drop Project Nimbus, citing concerns about their health and safety on the job. The company’s leaders were accused of ignoring internal concerns about the contract for a long time, causing tensions to escalate.
Employees and members of the NTFA have been protesting against Project Nimbus for the past three years. The controversial contract gives Israel full access to Google Cloud’s AI and machine learning technology, sparking criticism from Jewish employees at Google and others. Criticism intensified after a military offensive in Gaza that resulted in the deaths of nearly 34,000 Palestinians and the destruction of much of the territory. Google has claimed that Project Nimbus is not directed at military workloads, but reports suggest otherwise, with the company providing custom tools for the Israeli Ministry of Defense.
In addition to Project Nimbus, NTFA alleges that the Israeli military uses Google Photos for facial recognition efforts in Gaza, enabling mass surveillance and human rights violations. The controversy surrounding the contract has intensified following reports on the IDF’s use of an AI-fueled targeting system called “Lavender” with little human oversight. Google Cloud engineer Eddie Hatfield was fired after disrupting an Israeli tech conference, and multiple employees have resigned in protest of the contract and Google’s relationship with the Israeli military. NTFA has accused Google’s top executives of profiting from genocide and enabling human rights abuses in Palestine.
The firing of protesting employees and mounting criticism against Google’s contract with Israel highlight the challenges faced by tech companies engaging in controversial government partnerships. The protests have sparked discussions around ethical considerations and corporate responsibility, with employees urging Google to reconsider its involvement with the Israeli government. As institutions like Google face pressure to divest from governments involved in human rights violations, the incident underscores the importance of transparency, accountability, and ethical decision-making in the tech industry. Companies must navigate complex geopolitical issues while upholding values of inclusivity, social responsibility, and respect for human rights in their operations and partnerships.
