Google fires 28 employees protesting against its cloud-computing contract with Israel

Google fires 28 employees protesting against its cloud-computing contract with Israel

Google has terminated the employment of 28 employees following their protest against the company's cloud-computing contract with Israel, known as Project Nimbus.

Google fires 28 employees protesting against its cloud-computing contract with Israel
India TodayNE
  • Apr 18, 2024,
  • Updated Apr 18, 2024, 10:00 AM IST

Google has terminated the employment of 28 employees following their protest against the company's cloud-computing contract with Israel, known as Project Nimbus. 

The employees, who staged sit-in protests at Google's New York and Sunnyvale offices, were fired as per a memo obtained by The Verge. 

The memo, issued by Chris Rackow, Google's head of global security, described the protest actions as 'unacceptable and extremely disruptive'. 

The fired employees investigated and their system access cut off were part of a group within Google called 'No Tech for Apartheid'. 

Also Read: Google to remove billions of personal records in landmark settlement

This group criticised Google for not responding to their concerns for three years and termed the firings as 'retaliatory'. 

The protests were against Project Nimbus, a billion-dollar AI contract signed in 2021, which the employees claimed was contributing to the use of AI in the ongoing Gaza conflict. 

The protestors had live-streamed their demands on Twitch, demanding that Google sever all ties with the Israeli military and government, and address a 'health and safety crisis' among workers.

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