Google fired an employee who protested this week at an Israeli tech event, and also shuttered an internal discussion board that filled up with dissent.

During a keynote speech in New York on Monday from the managing director of Google’s Israel business, an employee in the company’s cloud division protested publicly, proclaiming “I refuse to build technology that powers genocide.”

Google’s role as a provider of technology to militaries in the U.S. and abroad has been a source of workforce consternation since at least 2018, when employees protested a Defense Department contract called Project Maven. Then came controversy surrounding Project Nimbus, a $1.2 billion artificial intelligence and computing services agreement among Google, Amazon Web Services and the Israeli government and military that began in 2021.

That outrage has spread to a host of other issues, often leaving CEO Sundar Pichai on the defensive when confronted by employees at company events.

  • Linkerbaan@lemmy.worldOPEnglish
    424·
    8 months ago

    You guys don’t put a Genocide protection clause in your contracts?

    2021- Israel Government says AWS and Google can’t boycott Nimbus Project

    When asked if the companies could shut down services, attorney Zviel Ganz of the legal department at the Finance Ministry said such scenarios had been taken into consideration when formulating the tenders. “According to the tender requirements, the answer is no,” he said

    Earlier this month more than 250 employees at Google sent a letter to the company’s executive team asking for the termination of contracts with “institutions that support Israeli violations of Palestinian rights,” including the Israel Defense Forces. Though a ceasefire has been declared, more than 250 people were killed during 11 days