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Google has terminated the work of 28 staff following a prolong sit - in protest at the company ’s Sunnyvale and New York office .
The employees were protesting againstProject Nimbus , a $ 1.2 billion cloud computation declaration ink by Google and Amazon with the Israeli government andits militarythree years ago . The controversial project , whichreportedly also provides Israelwith the full suite of Google Cloud ’s artificial intelligence and machine larn technology , allegedly has hard-and-fast contractual stipulations thatpreventGoogle and Amazon from bowing to boycott pressure . This effectively entail that they must extend providing services to Israel no matter what .
Conflict
Employees at Google haveprotested and publicly chastised the contractsince 2021 , but as the Israel - Palestine conflict persist in to escalate in thewake of last October ’s attacksby Hamas , this unrest is spill further into the workforces of corporations deemed not only to be helping Israel , but also actively profiteer from the dispute .
While the latest exchange include demonstrations outside Google ’s Sunnyvale and New York power , as well as Amazon ’s Seattle HQ , protestors went one step further by going inside the building , including the office of Google Cloud CEO Thomas Kurian .
In a statement issued to TechCrunch via anti - Big Tech advocacy firmJustice Speaks , Hasan Ibraheem , a Google software program engineer participate in the New York City sit down - in protest , said that by bring home the bacon cloud and AI infrastructure to the Israeli armed forces , Google is “ directly implicated in the genocide of the Palestinian people . ”
“ It ’s my responsibility to do everything I can to end this contract even while Google dissemble nothing is wrong , ” Ibraheem said . “ The idea of lick for a company that directly supply substructure for genocide makes me crazy . We ’ve tried sending postulation to leadership but they ’ve gone ignored . We will check that they ca n’t discount us anymore . We will make as much noise as possible . So many workers do n’t know that Google has this contract with the IOF [ Israel Offensive Forces ] . So many do n’t know that their workfellow have been front harassment for being Muslim , Palestinian and Arab and verbalize out . So many people do n’t realize how complicit their own caller is . It ’s our job to make certain they do . ”
Nine Google prole were also arrested and forcibly remove from the company ’s offices — four in New York and five in Sunnyvale . A disjoined statement issued by Justice Speaks on behalf of the “ Nimbus nine ” protestors , articulate that they had demanded to utter with Kurian , but their request was denied .
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The financial statement reads in full :
Last Nox , Google made the decision to pick up us , the company ’s own workers — instead of pursue with our concerns about Project Nimbus , the company ’s $ 1.2 billion cloud computing contract with Israel . Those of us sit in Thomas Kurian ’s part repeatedly request to speak with the Google Cloud CEO , but our requests were denied . Throughout the preceding three class , since the contract bridge ’s signing , we have repeatedly assay to engage with Google executive about Project Nimbus through company channel , including town halls , forums , petitions sign by over a thousand worker , and lineal outreach from concerned worker .
Google executives have ignore our concerns about our ethical responsibility for the wallop of our technology as well as the equipment casualty to our workplace health and safe because of this declaration , and the company ’s internal surroundings of revenge , harassment , and bullying . At every twist , instead , Google is repressing speech inside the fellowship , and condoning harassment , determent , intimidation , silence , and censorship of Palestinian , Arab , and Muslim Googlers .
prole have the right to know how their labor is being used , and to have a say in see the technology they establish is not used for harm . doer also have the right to go to form without fear , anxiety , and tension due to the potential that their labor is being used to power a genocide . Google is depriving us of these basic rights , which is what led us to model - in at function across the country yesterday .
Meanwhile , Google keep to rest to its workers , the medium , and the world . Google continues to claim , as of yesterday , that Project Nimbus is “ not aim at highly sensible , classified , or military workloads relevant to weapons or intelligence inspection and repair . ” Yet , describe from TIME Magazine proves otherwise . Google has work up custom tools for Israel ’s Ministry of Defense , and has doubled down on contracting with the Israeli Occupational Forces , Israel ’s military , since the start of its genocide against Palestinians in Gaza . By continuing its lies , Google is disrespecting and disregarding consumers , the media , as well as , most importantly , us — its actor .
We will not remain silent in light of Google ’s bleak - faced lies . Hundreds and K of Google actor have joined No Tech for Apartheid ’s call for the caller to shake off Project Nimbus . Despite Google ’s attempt to silence us and disregard our concern , we will persist . We will continue to organize and struggle until Google drops Project Nimbus and stops help and abet Israel ’s genocide and apartheid nation in Palestine .
A Google interpreter confirmed to TechCrunch that 28 employee were fired and that it will “ carry on to investigate and take activity ” if need .
“ These protestation were part of a longstanding crusade by a group of organizations and people who largely do n’t act upon at Google , ” the spokesperson enunciate . “ A small turn of employee protesters enter and disrupted a few of our locations . Physically impeding other employees ’ work and preventing them from accessing our facilities is a clear violation of our policy , and entirely unacceptable behavior . After refusing multiple requests to leave the premises , law enforcement was prosecute to remove them to ensure office safety . ”
