A group of Google employees staged a high-level protest inside the office of Google Cloud CEO Thomas Kurian, demanding an end to the company’s cooperation with the Israeli government.
The protest, which lasted more than eight hours, ended with some workers refusing to vacate the building until their demands were met.
The protest, which was launched by a group of Google employees in California and New York, was prompted by the company’s involvement in the billion-dollar AI deal known as Project Nimbus, signed in 2021. The Daily Wire reports that dissatisfaction among employees has reached its peak. Because of Google’s relationship with the Israeli government.
Protesters linked to Google No Tech for Apartheid streamed their protest live on Twitch with the hashtag #notch4apartheid.
However, the protesters urged law enforcement to intervene. The police were called to the scene, resulting in the arrest of the protesting employees, which culminated in the party.
Emaan Haseem, a Google software engineer and one of the protesters, said he did not want to risk his job, but said there was a need to condemn Project Nimbus and support the Israeli government. Haseem has revealed that many of his colleagues were fired from Google due to concerns about Project Nimbus, citing the negative impact on mental health.
The protest led to the perception among Google employees that the services offered by Project Nimbus contributed to the use of AI in the ongoing conflict in Gaza, which was described as the first genocide using AI.
The incident not only highlights the growing disparity at Google, but also raises deep questions about the tech giant’s moral responsibility in global political and human rights issues. The protesting employees are calling for a rethinking of the contractual obligations and ethical implications of their technology ventures, aiming to catalyze change within the company.
