Google Fires 28 Employees for Participating in Protest Against Israel Contract
Google has made headlines after firing 28 employees who participated in a 10-hour sit-in protest at the company’s offices in New York and Sunnyvale. The protesters were advocating for Google to sever ties with the Israel government, citing concerns that the technology provided could be used against Palestinians in Gaza.
The employees were terminated following an internal investigation which found that they had taken over office spaces, defaced property, and physically obstructed the work of other employees. The group behind the protest, known as No Tech For Apartheid, demanded that Google pull out of a $1.2 billion contract with the Israeli government.
Critics of the contract raised concerns that the technology provided to Israel could potentially be weaponized against Palestinians. The fired employees accused Google of prioritizing its financial interests over the well-being of its workers.
The protests involved approximately 50 participants in New York and 80 in Sunnyvale, with some employees even being arrested for trespassing. Google confirmed the firings and stated that the protests violated company policies and were unacceptable in the workplace.
The demonstrators went as far as storming the personal office of Google Cloud CEO Thomas Kurian in Sunnyvale. A Google spokesperson noted that the protests were part of a larger campaign by external organizations and individuals who do not work for Google.
As Google continues to investigate and take action against disruptive behavior, including termination, the incident sheds a light on the challenges faced by tech companies when it comes to balancing business interests and ethical concerns.
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