“This is business as usual.” Sundar Pichai’s Tough Word To Staff Following Google’s Termination of 28 Due To Protest Against Israel Cloud Contract

Statements from the tech giant and activists claim that Google has dismissed 28 workers who were participating in demonstrations against the Israeli government over the company’s cloud computing contract.

These workers were demonstrating against the billion-dollar business that supplies the Israeli government with cloud computing and artificial intelligence services. The business said that it “will continue to investigate and take action as needed” after conducting “individual investigations that resulted in the termination of employment for 28 employees.”

Google CEO Sundar Pichai gave stern instructions to staff members, outlining the need for more attention “in how we work, collaborate, discuss and even disagree.”

The Note From Google CEO Sundar Pichai To Staff
In a blog post, Google CEO Sundar Pichai said that it is critical to maintain the company’s dynamic, open dialogue culture because it “enables us to create amazing products and turn great ideas into action.”

“Ultimately, this is a business, and not a place to act in a way that disrupts coworkers or makes them feel unsafe, to attempt to use the company as a personal platform, to fight over disruptive issues or debate politics,” he said. “We are a workplace, and our policies and expectations are clear.”

28 Workers at Google Are Fired for Protesting Against Israel’s Cloud Contract
At Google’s headquarters in California and New York, employees staged sit-ins to express their disapproval of the company’s USD 1.2 billion deal to provide customized tools to the Israeli military. The corporation has dismissed 28 workers and nine individuals were detained earlier.

On social media, the group shared images and videos of Google employees carrying signs and shouting slogans while seated on the ground.

“A small number of employee protesters entered and disrupted a few of our locations,” Google claimed. Law enforcement was called in to remove them to guarantee office safety after they repeatedly refused demands to leave the premises.

The group disputed the company’s assertion that the demonstrations were a part of an ongoing effort by organizations and “people who largely don’t work at Google.”

What Is The Israel Cloud Computing Contract Or Project Nimbus?
An Israeli government contracts with Google and Amazon Web Services (AWS) for a project worth over $1 billion, which would deliver cloud services to the nation’s military and public sectors.

Employees at Google were requesting that their employer terminate Nimbus, a multi-year, $1.2-billion initiative that offers cloud and artificial intelligence capabilities to Israel’s defense ministry and government.

All of these demonstrations were organized by an organization named No Tech for Apartheid, which claimed that Project Nimbus was assisting Israel with its military actions in Gaza.