Google Fires 28 Workers Over Israeli Cloud Contract Protest

Google has terminated 28 employees who participated in a sit-in protest against the company’s cloud contract with the Israeli government. This action followed the suspension and subsequent arrest of nine staff members for their involvement in the protest. The dismissals were announced through an internal memo, which accused the protesting workers of seizing office spaces, vandalizing company property, and obstructing the work of their colleagues. Google described these actions as “unacceptable, extremely disruptive, and threatening to coworkers.”

The protests occurred at Google’s offices in Sunnyvale and New York, where employees expressed their opposition to the company’s cloud contract with the Israeli government. The internal memo stated that the firings resulted from an ongoing internal investigation into the protest.

The group behind the protests, known as No Tech for Apartheid, issued a statement condemning the firings as retaliatory. They argued that Google employees have the right to peacefully protest about their working conditions and that the dismissals were unjustified. No Tech for Apartheid also disputed Google’s claims, denying that protesters had defaced property or impeded work. They described the sit-in as peaceful and said it received overwhelming support from their colleagues.

In response to the protests, Google emphasized its commitment to enforcing its policies against disruptive behavior. The company’s internal memo warned that actions violating their policies would result in termination. A spokesperson for No Tech for Apartheid accused Google of being afraid of their movement and vowed that the firings would not deter them from continuing to advocate for accountability and transparency from their employers.

The protests were sparked by Google and Amazon’s $1.2 billion cloud computing contract with the Israeli government, known as Project Nimbus. This contract has faced internal opposition, particularly following Israel’s invasion of Gaza last October. Google has maintained that its work with Project Nimbus does not involve highly sensitive or classified military workloads, stating that it is not directed at weapons or intelligence services.