Google fires 28 employees after sit-in protest over Israel cloud contract
www.theverge.com
The employees were protesting against “Project Nimbus.”

Google fired 28 employees in connection with sit-in protests at two of its offices this week, according to an internal memo obtained by The Verge. The firings come after 9 employees were suspended and then arrested in New York and California on Tuesday.

In a memo sent to all employees on Wednesday, Chris Rackow, Google’s head of global security, said that “behavior like this has no place in our workplace and we will not tolerate it.”

He also warned that the company would take more action if needed: “The overwhelming majority of our employees do the right thing. If you’re one of the few who are tempted to think we’re going to overlook conduct that violates our policies, think again. The company takes this extremely seriously, and we will continue to apply our longstanding policies to take action against disruptive behavior — up to and including termination.”

    • jonne@infosec.pubEnglish
      1175·
      7 months ago

      They dropped that one quietly a couple of years ago. I guess around the time they started doing contracts for Israel?

      Edit: just Googled what this project nimbus is all about, and it sounds like basically building data centres in Israel, which is fair enough, but it ends with this titbit:

      The terms Israel set for the project contractually forbid Amazon and Google from halting services due to boycott pressure.[7][8] The tech companies are also forbidden from denying service to any particular government entities.[8]

      That’s not something you put in your contract unless you’re planning on doing something that’ll attract boycotts

      • mannycalavera@feddit.ukEnglish
        424·
        7 months ago

        That’s not something you put in your contract unless you’re planning on doing something that’ll attract boycotts

        Would genocide count? 🤔

        • jonne@infosec.pubEnglish
          263·
          7 months ago

          Unfortunately it doesn’t appear to be enough for most western countries.

      • egonallanon@lemm.eeEnglish
        283·
        7 months ago

        I mean for many (myself included) setting up shop in Israel is reason enough for boycotting an organisation.

      • CosmicTurtle0@lemmy.dbzer0.comEnglish
        211·
        7 months ago

        The tech companies are also forbidden from denying service to any particular government entities.

        That includes Palestine, right?

        Right?

      • huginn@feddit.itEnglish
        173·
        7 months ago

        They didn’t drop it. It was still in the handbook in 2022 when I signed it.

        People like to claim they dropped it: but it’s still there.

        Now since I was laid off in the mass 2023 wave I can’t speak to it’s current state but I’d be shocked if they removed it.

  • 0x0English
    704·
    7 months ago

    One more reason to degoogle.

  • JoeKrogan@lemmy.worldEnglish
    579·
    7 months ago

    I wonder If they were protesting some other interests such as against iran would they have been fired… Of course not. Countries and companies are bending over backwards for Israel.

    I hope the workers challange this in court.

    • RidcullyTheBrown@lemmy.worldEnglish
      202·
      7 months ago

      I don’t want to take anything away from this protest. It worked about as well as everyone hoped. We’re talking about it in an international community. But come on, there was only one way this was going to end and it was with them getting fired regardless of the country/situation. The employees knew this as well, they probably have other jobs lined out already.

      • Dariusmiles2123@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
        3·
        7 months ago

        I might start trying that just to avoid giving money/data to Google. I just wonder if there is an app and if the creators would still get paid. Would someone know?

        • JimboDHimbo@lemmy.caEnglish
          4·
          7 months ago

          Nebula is one app I hear yt creators mention often. Specifically FD Signifier and Foreign Man in A Foreign Land, but there are many other creators who use it too. There is also Greyjay, which I think is built specifically for what you are asking.

          • Dariusmiles2123@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
            1·
            7 months ago

            Yeah I tried Nebula a while ago but sadly it lacked the content I was looking for.

            I’m into Linux, cars and basketball and none if these were well represented. Maybe it’s different now.

            I’ll have a look at Greyjay.

            Peertube with some Patreon support is fine for Linux but not for the other parts too…

  • Jamil@lemm.eeEnglish
    392·
    7 months ago

    Looking for more ideas how to boycott Google.

    No longer using Chrome No longer using google search.

    Somehow get off Gmail? Android gapps? Delete reviews?

    • Gluten6970@lemm.eeEnglish
      16·
      7 months ago

      The Proton suite of apps have 1:1 replacements for the entire Gsuite. Some things are locked behind a subscription (email is fully free), so if you’re not into that there’s NextCloud if you can/want to self-host. Tuta is also a decent Gmail replacement. As for Gapps, there isn’t really any good replacements; MicroG breaks a lot of things and sandboxed google play services is the only other alternative (which is only available on GrapheneOS afaik).

      • sugar_in_your_tea@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
        72·
        7 months ago

        The Proton suite of apps have 1:1 replacements for the entire Gsuite

        That’s just not true, they don’t have office applications or video chat. I wish they did though. Also, their storage is pretty expensive.

        Their email is pretty good though, and they have a decent VPN service as well.

        • Gluten6970@lemm.eeEnglish
          5·
          7 months ago

          they don’t have office applications or video chat

          Oh right, true. I forget Google has those.

          • sugar_in_your_tea@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
            2·
            7 months ago

            Google Sheets is the last thing really holding my back from abandoning Google. It’s just so convenient, and I’m more comfortable with it than LibreOffice. I like that I can edit things on my phone, which I haven’t found an alternative for.

    • Vik@lemmy.worldEnglish
      4·
      7 months ago

      There’s FOSS apps from fdroid, fairemail or protonmail or something of the sort, CalyxOS or GrapheneOS (ironically targets the Pixel series primarily, though they sometimes sell these at a loss around the holiday season).

    • Potatos_are_not_friends@lemmy.worldEnglish
      820·
      7 months ago

      Unpopular opinion but boycotting Google doesn’t work.

      Instead, get real inside the house.

      • Be such a great Contributor to Google Maps.

      • Be a manager of a team.

      • Work on critical systems.

      Then casually start breaking shit. Woops, didn’t mean to add all this spam to Google maps. Didn’t mean to cancel another service. Didn’t mean to make search shittyer.

      And if you do it correctly, you’ll get paid AND nobody will be the wiser since they’re already doing all those things.

      • mlg@lemmy.worldEnglish
        16·
        7 months ago

        Poor dude doesn’t know google already did this themselves by killing their project teams and bringing a team of summer interns every year to decrease the cloud cost of each app.

        They don’t have to worry because they already own the market on all these apps so any competitor can be bought out or is doomed to fail.

        That way they can spend all their allocated budget on new ventures like Gemini.

        For example Google Maps has sucked total ******* **** for a whole ass decade now, and the people who made Android Auto have a special place for them in FOSS hell.

  • Allero@lemmy.todayEnglish
    394·
    7 months ago

    The memo looks like it comes straight out of dystopian novel

    How did we get here

    • sugar_in_your_tea@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
      2249·
      7 months ago

      What’s dystopian about it? Employees violated company policy and they were fired because of it. There are acceptable and unacceptable ways to handle it, and those employees chose to handle it unprofessionally.

      If they want to protest on their own time and on public property, they should have every right. But protesting on company property shouldn’t have any special protections.

      I’m no fan of Google and I think their business choices are despicable, but that doesn’t change the fact that first amendment protections do not apply in a typical workplace, they only serve to restrict government action. So it’s completely unsurprising that Google fired employees who destroyed company property and disrupted the work environment.

      • SulaymanF@lemmy.worldEnglish
        265·
        7 months ago

        Google PRIDES itself on progressivism and diversity. From transgender visibility to veganism. Google showered Ukrainian and Israeli employees with support and gave them a platform, but Palestinian supporters were left out. Say Ukrainians are dying and google will support you and even donate for you. Protest Google’s military contract that kills Palestinian civilians and violates the company ethics policies and you get fired?

        This will blemish google’s reputation for a long time to come. IBM is still in the history books as helping the Nazis.

        • sugar_in_your_tea@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
          37·
          7 months ago

          Google prides itself on making money and attracting top talent. Destructive and disruptive protests negatively impacts both. So AFAICT, they weren’t fired for the content of their speech, but the manner in which they chose to express it (i.e. disrupting business).

          I doubt they wouldn’t can fired for taking time off to protest outside company property, it was likely due to their choice to damage and disrupt work in the buildings.

          • SulaymanF@lemmy.worldEnglish
            1·
            7 months ago

            We all know that’s inconsistent. Let’s start with the fact that if this was just about money, Google wouldn’t be investing money on expensive like green initiatives or large donations to nonprofits.

            If employees wanted to take time off to grieve for the LGBT deaths at the Pulse nightclub shooting, the company would have supported them. Would they have done the same for people grieving over dead Palestinian children, or fire them for not meeting their work requirements or ‘disrupting business’? Would Google fire employees who staged a sit-in over anti-Semitism in the workplace?

            Google broke their corporate ethics by allying with a military for a lucrative contract; employees SHOULD be calling them out on it.

            • sugar_in_your_tea@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
              1·
              7 months ago

              Google has broken their corporate ethics so many times I lost count. But that’s not what’s at issue here.

              The employees here broke the law by destroying Google property. That’s why they were fired, not specifically because of their speech (though I’m sure that motivated a more aggressive response).

              I totally agree that employees should be calling them out on it, but they should do so without breaking the law. Protest on public property just outside the building. Raise awareness with fellow employees who may not be aware. Write open letters. But don’t break the law, that’ll just get you fired and maybe arrested.

      • dutchkimble@lemy.lolEnglish
        93·
        7 months ago

        I think it’s the part where they are ready to go to the extent of hiring a T800 from the future to kill your mother before you were born

      • AMDIsOurLord@lemmy.mlEnglish
        61·
        7 months ago

        🤓 Employees violated company policy

        Goddamn, the boot licking and cock sucking action here could generate a whole new PornHub category

      • melpomenesclevage@lemm.eeEnglish
        31·
        7 months ago

        dumbasses should’ve just sabotaged the project, or stolen as much as they could get away with. maybe leaked it.

        I agree.

  • Kyoyeou (Ki jəʊ juː)@slrpnk.netEnglish
    397·
    7 months ago

    Their behavior was unacceptable, extremely disruptive, and made coworkers feel threatened

    Maybe… because they feel threatened for themselves and their families?

  • SitD@feddit.deEnglish
    241·
    7 months ago

    😎👍 joke’s on them i fired them from my phone

      • vinyl@lemmy.worldEnglish
        21·
        7 months ago

        I decided to try out Kagi, I appreciate duckduckgo for privacy but jeez does it suck at being a search engine. Kagi is trying to be a 1:1 google search but without ads and tracking, you may ask how they operate? They charge 10 bucks a month which is a downside I’m willing to take.

  • AllNewTypeFace@leminal.spaceEnglish
    275·
    7 months ago

    Does the US still have a Fortune 500-wide hiring blacklist for those who publicly criticise Israeli military operations? If so, they may have a hard time finding other employment.

  • Cowbee [he/him]@lemmy.mlEnglish
    225·
    7 months ago

    “How dare you protest genocide. The majority of our employees shut the fuck up about us supporting genocide, get in line or get cut.”