The Cloud Deal with Israel caused protests that led to the firing of 28 workers
“No Tech for Genocide” was not used against Israel in the September 11, 2018 Israeli-Israeli Sit-in at Google’s New York office
Workers at both companies say the deal makes advanced technology available to Israel that could contribute to the killing of Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank. The Intercept and Time have reported that Project Nimbus provides services that can be tapped by the Israel Defence Forces.
Around noon on the day of the sit-in, Montes says she and other protestors at Google’s New York office unfurled a 15-foot banner down an open staircase that read: “No tech for genocide.” Israel insists it’s fighting in self-defense, rejecting claims of genocide.
Jane Chung, a spokesperson for No Tech for Apartheid—the coalition of tech workers and Muslim- and Jewish-led activist groups MPower Change and Jewish Voice for Peace that organized the protests—says that some workers who were fired were involved in much less provocative action than those who occupied offices.
Some, she said, had simply attended an outdoor protest and taken a t-shirt handed out by organizers. Others were “flyering outside, standing near the protesters for safety.”
A software engineer who was arrested after occupying the New York office of Search giant Google for ten hours is now accusing the company of breaching legal protections for workers.
The employees were terminated because of their obstruction of other employees’ work and preventing them from accessing the facilities, Anna Kowalczyk said in a statement. She added that “after refusing multiple requests to leave the premises, law enforcement was engaged to remove them to ensure office safety.” The Nimbus contract is “not directed” at classified or military work, she said.
The first time Zelda Montes heard about Google’s Project Nimbus was about six months ago, even though she worked at the company since 2022. The project is a $1.2 billion contract to supply Israel with cloud computing services.
As someone who’s opposed to the war in Gaza, Montes says she was shocked. Tension over the Israeli conflict is simmering across the country, which coincides with this.
No Tech for Apartheid: When the Israeli Technology is Leaped and Its Uses Are Done, Workers Aren’t Shutdown
Montes, who worked as a software engineer at the video sharing site, said that it shows how little people at work know about the contract.
She says, “They were suppressing our voices in the workplace and not allowing for worker dissent to be expressed around the project.”
This is one of the largest mass firings seen in the tech industry and comes as many Silicon Valley companies do work with Israel. Some of the employees are not comfortable with that.
The No Tech for Apartheid group says that without clarity on the project, it’s still unclear how the technology is being used in Israel. It is feared that it could be used to hurt the Palestinians in the war in Gaza.
The workers have the right to know how their labor is being used, and they also have a say in ensuring that the technology they build is not used for harms, according to the group.
They sat around and played the card game Uno until they were approached by Google security. When they were told to leave, the police arrived about eight hours later.
All of the employees left the office by the time the police showed up. Montes and four other protesters were handcuffed and taken to a freight elevator which they were put into by a police van. The group was imprisoned for three and a half hours.
“We have so far concluded individual investigations that resulted in the termination of employment for 28 employees, and will continue to investigate and take action as needed,” the spokesperson said.
Montes thinks the firings are a fear tactic that won’t work. “Workers are agitated and we’re organized,” she says, and even though she’s been fired “we’ll keep organizing until this project is dropped.”
