Google has reportedly fired a cloud engineer who interrupted Barak Regev, managing director of its Israel operations, while he was speaking at an Israeli technology event in New York. CNBC. “I’m a Google software engineer and I refuse to build technology that supports genocide or surveillance!” I saw and heard the engineer screaming. video The photo, captured by freelance journalist Caroline Haskins, has gone viral online. Even as he was dragged away by security guards and amidst ridicule from the audience, he continued to mention Project Nimbus. This is a $1.2 billion deal signed between Google and Amazon to supply AI and other advanced technologies to the Israeli military.
Last year, a group of Google employees published an open letter urging the company to cancel Project Nimbus and called out the “hatred, abuse and retaliation” Arab, Muslim and Palestinian workers were receiving within the company. “Project Nimbus puts members of the Palestinian community at risk. I refuse to build technology that will be used for cloud apartheid,” the engineer said. After leaving the venue, Regev told the audience:[p]”The privilege of working for a company that represents democratic values is to provide a stage for diverse opinions,” he concluded his speech after a second protester interrupted him and accused Google of being complicit in genocide.
At the Israeli technology industry conference MindTheTech in New York this morning, a Google Cloud engineer interrupted Google Israel Managing Director Barak Regev.
“I refuse to build technology that facilitates genocide!” he exclaimed, referring to Google’s Project Nimbus deal. pic.twitter.com/vM9mMFlJRS
— Caroline Haskins (@car0linehaskins) March 4, 2024
The incident occurred at the MindTheTech conference in New York. This year’s theme was clearly “Go with Israeli technology,” as investment in Israel has slowed since the Hamas attack on October 7. Haskins detailed what he saw at the event, but was unable to stay until it ended because he was kicked out by security.
The Google engineer who disrupted the event told Haskins, “I want other Google Cloud engineers to know that this is what engineering looks like. We stand in solidarity with the communities impacted by your work.” He spoke to the reporter anonymously to avoid professional repercussions, but Google apparently figured out who he was. A Google spokesperson said: CNBC He said he was fired for “disrupting an official company-sponsored event.” They also told the media outlet that “regardless of the issue, his behavior was not OK” and that “the employee was terminated for violations.” [Google’s] Policy.”
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