Google fires employee protesting Israeli military contract

Google has terminated an employee who publicly voiced opposition to the tech giant's involvement with the Israeli military. The incident unfolded during a presentation at the annual Mind the Tech conference in New York, where an employee from Google's Israel branch stood up and vehemently protested against the company's collaboration with the Israeli military.

The now-dismissed Google Cloud engineer disrupted the event by shouting, "I refuse to build technology that powers genocide or surveillance." This act of defiance drew attention not only from conference attendees but also from Google executives present at the event.

Confirming the termination, Google spokesperson Bailey Tomson stated, "Earlier this week, an employee disrupted a coworker who was giving a presentation — interfering with an official company-sponsored event. This behaviour is not okay, regardless of the issue, and the employee was terminated for violating our policies."

The protest targeted Project Nimbus, a substantial $1.2 billion contract between the Israeli government and tech giants Google and Amazon. This initiative, aimed at enhancing access to cloud services, has sparked controversy since its inception in 2021. Critics argue that such technologies facilitate surveillance and data collection on Palestinians, raising ethical concerns.

The fired engineer, expressing concerns about Project Nimbus, asserted, "Project Nimbus puts Palestinian community members in danger. No cloud apartheid." Despite the employee's passionate plea, they were swiftly escorted out of the presentation.

The termination has sparked outrage among advocacy groups. No Tech For Apartheid, a prominent organisation opposing Project Nimbus, condemned Google's action, stating, "Google’s aims are clear: The corporation is trying to silence workers to hide their moral failings." They highlighted the employee's genuine concerns regarding the ethical implications of their work.

This incident is not the first instance of internal dissent within Google concerning its involvement with the Israeli military. Since the inception of Project Nimbus, employees have staged various protests, including a "die-in" at the company's San Francisco offices and a petition urging Google to cease sponsorship of the Mind the Tech conference.