Google fired 28 employees who participated in sit-ins at the company’s New York and Sunnyvale offices to protest the company’s cloud computing contract with the Israeli government. The dismissals came after nine employees were arrested on charges of trespassing at the two offices. Google stated that physically impeding others’ work and preventing access to facilities is a violation of their policies and unacceptable behavior. Tensions between the company’s management and activist employees had been building over Project Nimbus, a deal to supply cloud services to the Israeli government, which intensified with the conflict in Gaza.
The protests were organized by a group called No Tech For Apartheid, and employees stated that the firings were retaliation for their peaceful protests about the terms and conditions of their labor. Some of the employees who were terminated had not participated in the sit-ins. The Nimbus contract, announced in 2021, aimed to provide cloud software to various Israeli government ministries. Google clarified that the contract did not involve highly sensitive or military-related workloads relevant to weapons or intelligence services. Despite Google’s reassurances, employees continued to push for the company to drop Project Nimbus.
In the past, Google workers successfully halted a deal with the U.S. Defense Department known as Project Maven, which would have assisted the military in analyzing drone videos. Those involved in the Nimbus activism vowed to keep protesting until Google terminated the contract. The tensions surrounding the cloud computing deal deepened following the firing of an employee who disrupted an Israeli technology conference in New York and discussions among employees in a corporate forum about the conflict. Google indicated that it was still investigating the protests that took place on Tuesday.
Employees in Sunnyvale refused to leave the office of Thomas Kurian, Google Cloud’s chief executive, during the protests. Despite the terminations, the activists continued to assert their right to peacefully protest against the company’s involvement with the Israeli government. Google’s decision to fire the protesting employees was met with backlash, with the group arguing that their right to protest labor conditions should be respected. The company’s actions reflect the ongoing tensions between employees and management over ethical concerns regarding business dealings with governments engaged in conflicts or controversial activities.
