Google fires 28 employees over Project Nimbus contract with Israeli governmentExBulletin

Google has a contract with the Israeli government to provide cloud computing services to the country. Not all his Google employees are happy about this.Alexander Kellner/Getty Images .

. Alexander Kellner/Getty Images

Google has a contract with the Israeli government to provide cloud computing services to the country. Not all his Google employees are happy about this.

Alexander Kellner/Getty Images

Zelda Montez first heard about Google's Project Nimbus about six months ago, even though she's been working at the company since 2022. The project is her $1.2 billion contract to supply cloud computing services to Israel.

As someone who opposes the war in Gaza, Montes said he was shocked. This comes at a time when tensions over the Israeli conflict smolder across the country.

“I think this speaks volumes about how much people in the workplace actually know about this deal,” said Montes, who previously worked as a software engineer at Google's YouTube.

Montes soon joined a Google employee group called No Tech for Apartheid, which had been organizing around Project Nimbus since 2021. Their goal is for Google to break its contract with the Israeli government. She said the group voiced its concerns to Google leadership, spoke at company town halls and set up a table with flyers about Project Nimbus in Google's offices.

But, she says, “Google quite literally silenced our voices in the workplace and did not allow workers to express any dissent on the project.”

So on Tuesday, the group took another step forward.

They held sit-in protests at Google's offices in Silicon Valley, New York City, and Seattle, drawing more than 100 protesters. The next day, Google fired Montes and 27 other employees who were members of the “No Technology for Apartheid” group.

This is one of several mass layoffs seen in the tech industry and comes as many Silicon Valley companies are collaborating with Israel. Some employees say it makes them uncomfortable.

Workers at Meta, the parent company of Amazon and Facebook, have also spoken out against the war and clashed with their employers. Last month, Google fired another software engineer who protested at a technology event in Israel.

When asked about Tuesday's demonstrators, a Google spokesperson told NPR in an email: “It's clear that our employees are physically interfering with the work of other employees and blocking access to our facilities.” This is a violation of policy and completely unacceptable behavior. After refusing multiple requests to leave the premises, law enforcement engaged in removing them to ensure the security of the office.”

Project Nimbus, AI, Cloud Computing

Google partnered with Amazon and began contracting with the Israeli government for Project Nimbus in 2021. Last week, Time obtained internal documents showing that the Israeli Ministry of Defense also signed a contract with Google last month.

A Google spokesperson said the company's cloud services support several governments around the world, including Israel. A spokesperson said Project Nimbus is for government departments and that “this work is not intended for highly sensitive classified or military work related to weapons or intelligence services.”

The No Technology for Apartheid group says it is still unclear how the technology will be used in Israel, as the project has not been defined. They say they fear it could be used in the war in Gaza and used as a weapon against Palestinian civilians.

“Workers have a right to know how their labor is being used, and a voice to ensure the technology they build is not used to cause harm,” the group said in a statement. “I have a right to have that,” he said.

Arrest and dismissal of workers

Around noon on the day of the sit-in, Montes said he and other protesters at Google's New York office unfurled a 15-foot-tall banner reading “Genocide Doesn't Need Technology” on an open staircase. (Israel insists it was fighting in self-defense and rejects claims of genocide).

They sat and played the card game Uno until Google security approached them. They were then told to leave or be arrested, Montes said, but police did not arrive until about eight hours later.

“It was a very strange energy because we kept thinking, 'Are we going to call the police now?'” Montes said, recalling that day.

By the time the police arrived, it was already night and most people had left the office. They handcuffed the four protesters, including Montez, who refused to leave the building, walked them to a freight elevator and then to a garage where a police van was waiting. The group spent about three and a half hours in jail.

A total of nine protesters were arrested in California and New York. Google began laying off employees the next evening. Montes said he was initially placed on leave, but then received an email saying he had been fired.

The email said she violated “Google's Code of Conduct” and “Harassment, Discrimination, and Retaliation Policies” during Tuesday's event.

According to No Tech for Apartheid, some of the fired Google employees did not participate in this week's protests. A Google spokesperson said the company is investigating employees individually.

A spokesperson said, “So far, the individual investigations leading to the dismissal of 28 employees have been completed, and we will continue to investigate and take action as necessary.''

Montes insists the shootings are a scare tactic and are ineffective. “Workers are upset and we are organizing,” she said, adding that even though she was fired, “we are going to keep organizing until this project is canceled.” ” she said.

Sources 1/ https://Google.com/ 2/ https://www.npr.org/2024/04/19/1245757317/google-worker-fired-israel-project-nimbus-cloud-protestor The mention sources can contact us to remove/changing this article

What Are The Main Benefits Of Comparing Car Insurance Quotes Online

LOS ANGELES, CA / ACCESSWIRE / June 24, 2020, / Compare-autoinsurance.Org has launched a new blog post that presents the main benefits of comparing multiple car insurance quotes. For more info and free online quotes, please visit https://compare-autoinsurance.Org/the-advantages-of-comparing-prices-with-car-insurance-quotes-online/ The modern society has numerous technological advantages. One important advantage is the speed at which information is sent and received. With the help of the internet, the shopping habits of many persons have drastically changed. The car insurance industry hasn't remained untouched by these changes. On the internet, drivers can compare insurance prices and find out which sellers have the best offers. View photos The advantages of comparing online car insurance quotes are the following: Online quotes can be obtained from anywhere and at any time. Unlike physical insurance agencies, websites don't have a specific schedule and they are available at any time. Drivers that have busy working schedules, can compare quotes from anywhere and at any time, even at midnight. Multiple choices. Almost all insurance providers, no matter if they are well-known brands or just local insurers, have an online presence. Online quotes will allow policyholders the chance to discover multiple insurance companies and check their prices. Drivers are no longer required to get quotes from just a few known insurance companies. Also, local and regional insurers can provide lower insurance rates for the same services. Accurate insurance estimates. Online quotes can only be accurate if the customers provide accurate and real info about their car models and driving history. Lying about past driving incidents can make the price estimates to be lower, but when dealing with an insurance company lying to them is useless. Usually, insurance companies will do research about a potential customer before granting him coverage. Online quotes can be sorted easily. Although drivers are recommended to not choose a policy just based on its price, drivers can easily sort quotes by insurance price. Using brokerage websites will allow drivers to get quotes from multiple insurers, thus making the comparison faster and easier. For additional info, money-saving tips, and free car insurance quotes, visit https://compare-autoinsurance.Org/ Compare-autoinsurance.Org is an online provider of life, home, health, and auto insurance quotes. This website is unique because it does not simply stick to one kind of insurance provider, but brings the clients the best deals from many different online insurance carriers. In this way, clients have access to offers from multiple carriers all in one place: this website. On this site, customers have access to quotes for insurance plans from various agencies, such as local or nationwide agencies, brand names insurance companies, etc. "Online quotes can easily help drivers obtain better car insurance deals. All they have to do is to complete an online form with accurate and real info, then compare prices", said Russell Rabichev, Marketing Director of Internet Marketing Company. CONTACT: Company Name: Internet Marketing CompanyPerson for contact Name: Gurgu CPhone Number: (818) 359-3898Email: [email protected]: https://compare-autoinsurance.Org/ SOURCE: Compare-autoinsurance.Org View source version on accesswire.Com:https://www.Accesswire.Com/595055/What-Are-The-Main-Benefits-Of-Comparing-Car-Insurance-Quotes-Online View photos