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Google fires 28 employees after protest over Israel cloud contract (www.theverge.com)

submitted 7 months ago by AmbiguousProps@lemmy.today to c/technology@lemmy.world

99 comments fedilink hide all child comments

Google fired 28 employees in connection with sit-in protests at two of its offices this week, according to an internal memo obtained by The Verge. The firings come after 9 employees were suspended and then arrested in New York and California on Tuesday.

In a memo sent to all employees on Wednesday, Chris Rackow, Google’s head of global security, said that “behavior like this has no place in our workplace and we will not tolerate it.”

He also warned that the company would take more action if needed: “The overwhelming majority of our employees do the right thing. If you’re one of the few who are tempted to think we’re going to overlook conduct that violates our policies, think again. The company takes this extremely seriously, and we will continue to apply our longstanding policies to take action against disruptive behavior — up to and including termination.”

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[+] sugar_in_your_tea@sh.itjust.works -27 points 7 months ago (5 children)

What's dystopian about it? Employees violated company policy and they were fired because of it. There are acceptable and unacceptable ways to handle it, and those employees chose to handle it unprofessionally.

If they want to protest on their own time and on public property, they should have every right. But protesting on company property shouldn't have any special protections.

I'm no fan of Google and I think their business choices are despicable, but that doesn't change the fact that first amendment protections do not apply in a typical workplace, they only serve to restrict government action. So it's completely unsurprising that Google fired employees who destroyed company property and disrupted the work environment.

[–] SulaymanF@lemmy.world 21 points 7 months ago (2 children)

Google PRIDES itself on progressivism and diversity. From transgender visibility to veganism. Google showered Ukrainian and Israeli employees with support and gave them a platform, but Palestinian supporters were left out. Say Ukrainians are dying and google will support you and even donate for you. Protest Google’s military contract that kills Palestinian civilians and violates the company ethics policies and you get fired?

This will blemish google’s reputation for a long time to come. IBM is still in the history books as helping the Nazis.

[–] melpomenesclevage@lemm.ee 2 points 7 months ago

google needs to stop being a thing.

[–] sugar_in_your_tea@sh.itjust.works -4 points 7 months ago (1 children)

Google prides itself on making money and attracting top talent. Destructive and disruptive protests negatively impacts both. So AFAICT, they weren't fired for the content of their speech, but the manner in which they chose to express it (i.e. disrupting business).

I doubt they wouldn't can fired for taking time off to protest outside company property, it was likely due to their choice to damage and disrupt work in the buildings.

[–] SulaymanF@lemmy.world 1 points 7 months ago* (last edited 7 months ago) (1 children)

We all know that’s inconsistent. Let’s start with the fact that if this was just about money, Google wouldn’t be investing money on expensive like green initiatives or large donations to nonprofits.

If employees wanted to take time off to grieve for the LGBT deaths at the Pulse nightclub shooting, the company would have supported them. Would they have done the same for people grieving over dead Palestinian children, or fire them for not meeting their work requirements or ‘disrupting business’? Would Google fire employees who staged a sit-in over anti-Semitism in the workplace?

Google broke their corporate ethics by allying with a military for a lucrative contract; employees SHOULD be calling them out on it.

[–] sugar_in_your_tea@sh.itjust.works 1 points 7 months ago* (last edited 7 months ago)

Google has broken their corporate ethics so many times I lost count. But that's not what's at issue here.

The employees here broke the law by destroying Google property. That's why they were fired, not specifically because of their speech (though I'm sure that motivated a more aggressive response).

I totally agree that employees should be calling them out on it, but they should do so without breaking the law. Protest on public property just outside the building. Raise awareness with fellow employees who may not be aware. Write open letters. But don't break the law, that'll just get you fired and maybe arrested.

[–] Crikeste@lemm.ee 7 points 7 months ago

Being apolitical is a political stance.

[–] dutchkimble@lemy.lol 6 points 7 months ago (1 children)

I think it's the part where they are ready to go to the extent of hiring a T800 from the future to kill your mother before you were born

[–] sugar_in_your_tea@sh.itjust.works 2 points 7 months ago (1 children)

I thought they were talking about the firing.

I totally agree with Google's partnership with Israel being dystopic.

[–] dutchkimble@lemy.lol 1 points 7 months ago

Yes, I was only joking...

[–] AMDIsOurLord@lemmy.ml 5 points 7 months ago

🤓 Employees violated company policy

Goddamn, the boot licking and cock sucking action here could generate a whole new PornHub category

[–] melpomenesclevage@lemm.ee 2 points 7 months ago (1 children)

dumbasses should've just sabotaged the project, or stolen as much as they could get away with. maybe leaked it.

I agree.

[–] sugar_in_your_tea@sh.itjust.works 1 points 7 months ago

That's certainly smarter. Openly committing crimes is rarely the right approach.