Google employees organized a public demonstration at the office of Google Cloud CEO Thomas Kurian, calling for an immediate end to the company’s partnership with the Israeli government.
The demonstration, which extended for more than eight hours, concluded with the apprehension of multiple employees who refused to leave the premises until their demands were satisfied.
The protest was instigated by a faction of Google employees in California and New York and was fueled by the company’s participation in a billion-dollar AI contract called Project Nimbus, which was signed in 2021. According to a report by Daily Wire, employee discontent reached its peak due to Google’s connections with the Israeli government.
The protesters, affiliated with the No Tech for Apartheid movement within Google, voiced their grievances during a livestream on Twitch, associating their protest with the hashtag #notech4apartheid. Their demands included a complete severance of ties between Google and the Israeli military and government, citing ethical concerns and a purported “health and safety crisis” among workers.
As darkness fell, a company representative approached the demonstrators and informed them of their administrative leave status, urging them to vacate the premises. However, the protesters remained steadfast, leading to law enforcement intervention. Police were summoned to the scene, resulting in the arrest of the protesting employees and marking a dramatic climax to the sit-in.
Emaan Haseem, a software engineer at Google and one of the protesters, expressed her hesitance to jeopardize her job but emphasized the importance of denouncing Project Nimbus and any support for the Israeli government. Haseem disclosed that numerous colleagues had resigned from Google due to concerns related to Project Nimbus, citing its detrimental impact on mental health.
The protest brought attention to the perception among Google employees that the services provided by Project Nimbus are contributing to the utilization of AI in ongoing conflicts, particularly in Gaza, which some have labeled as the first AI-powered genocide.
This incident not only highlights the growing dissent within Google but also raises significant questions about the ethical responsibilities of tech giants in global political and human rights matters.
