O Google fired about 20 workers who the company said took part in protests against the company’s cloud computing deal with the Israeli government. Now, there have been more than 50 layoffs of workers fired in the last week because of the issue, according to the activist group that represents the workers.
A Google spokesperson confirmed that it had fired more workers after continuing its investigation into the April 16 protests, which included demonstrations at Google offices in New York City and Sunnyvale, California.
Sundar Pichai, CEO of Google, tries to keep employees away from political debates within the company Photograph: Carlos Barria/Reuters
The layoffs came days after the CEO Sundar Pichai told employees in an internal statement that they should not use the company as a “personal platform” or “fight over inconvenient issues or debate politics.”
“The corporation is trying to suppress dissent, silence its employees and reassert its power over them,” says Jane Chung, a spokeswoman for No Tech for Apartheid, a group that has been protesting Google and Amazon’s contracts with the Israeli government since 2021.
The protests at Google are part of a wave of opposition to the US government and companies that work with the Israeli government and military. Pro-Palestine protesters have been arrested in recent days at Yale and Columbia universities, sparking accusations of overreach by university officials and inspiring another wave of demonstrations at other US colleges. The day before the demonstrations at Google, activists blocked highways, bridges and airport entrances in the United States to protest the war in Gaza.
At Google, the situation turned into a public fight between Google managers and the fired employees. Google claims that each fired employee actively disrupted its offices, while workers dispute the claims, saying that some of those fired did not even enter the company’s office on the day of the coordinated demonstrations against the company.
In the past, Google has fired employees who publicly criticized the company, but it has never fired so many people at once. For years, Google has had a reputation as the freest and most open company among big tech companies in terms of office culture and collaboration. The company celebrated an internal culture in which employees knew what other teams were working on and were encouraged to question leaders’ decisions.
In his statement to employees, Pichai said the company’s openness was a strength, but that it applied to work topics, not politics.
“We have a vibrant and open culture of discussion that allows us to create amazing products and turn big ideas into action,” he said in the text. “But ultimately we are a workplace and our policies and expectations are clear: this is a business.”
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Tags: place politics Google fires employees opposed agreement Israel
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