Google fires over 20 more employees over protest against contract with Israeli govt
San Francisco, Apr 23: Google fired at least 20 more workers in the aftermath of protests over technology the company is supplying the Israeli government amid the Gaza war, bringing the total number of terminated staff to more than 50, a group representing the workers said.
It's the latest sign of internal turmoil at the tech giant centered on “Project Nimbus,” a $1.2 billion contract signed in 2021 for Google and Amazon to provide the Israeli government with cloud computing and artificial intelligence services.
Workers held sit-in protests last week at Google offices in New York and Sunnyvale, California. The company responded by calling the police, who made arrests.
The group organizing the protests, No Tech For Apartheid, said the company fired 30 workers last week — higher than the initial 28 they had announced.
Then, on Tuesday night, Google fired “over 20” more staffers, “including non-participating bystanders during last week's protests,” said Jane Chung, a spokeswoman for No Tech For Apartheid, without providing a more specific number.
“Google's aims are clear: the corporation is attempting to quash dissent, silence its workers, and reassert its power over them,” Chung said in a press release. “In its attempts to do so, Google has decided to unceremoniously, and without due process, upend the livelihoods of over 50 of its own workers.”
Google said it fired the additional workers after its investigation gathered details from coworkers who were “physically disrupted” and it identified employees who used masks and didn't carry their staff badges to hide their identities. It didn't specify how many were fired.
The company disputed the group's claims, saying that it carefully confirmed that “every single one of those whose employment was terminated was personally and definitively involved in disruptive activity inside our buildings.”
The Mountain View, California, company had previously signalled that more people could be fired, with CEO Sundar Pichai indicating in a blog post that employees would be on a short leash as the company intensifies its efforts to improve its AI technology.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Undertrial dies by suicide in Mangaluru
Mangaluru, May 6: A 26-year-old undertrial prisoner allegedly died by suicide while in judicial custody on Monday, police said.
Muhammad Noufal, hailing from Kerela, died by hanging.
According to police, he was hospitalised multiple times after displaying signs of mental depression.
ALSO READ: Pre-University student found hanging in her hostel room in Moodbidri
He was undergoing treatment at the jail ward of Wenlock hospital here, they said.
Though he was lodged in the ward with other inmates, he managed to hang himself from the ceiling.
A case has been registered and investigation is on, they added.
