Project Nimbus has resulted in unrest among Google employees in the United States, leading to organized protests at the company’s offices in New York City, California, and Seattle. The protests oppose a $1.2 billion contract with the Israeli government.
This contract, referred to as Project Nimbus, was jointly signed by Google and Amazon in 2021.
The project aims to provide cloud computing infrastructure, artificial intelligence (AI), and other technological services to the Israeli government and its military.
However, the Israeli military’s actions in Gaza have drawn condemnation from United Nations experts and numerous countries, labelling it as a “genocide.”
Since the military offensive began last October, Israel’s actions have resulted in the deaths of over 34,000 Palestinians, primarily children and women. However, Israel justifies these actions as targeting Hamas fighters following a deadly attack on October 7.
Reports indicate that Google has terminated more than 20 employees following sit-in protests at its offices in New York and California. This decision follows the dismissal of 28 employees the previous week, bringing the total number of employees fired for protesting to nearly 50.
Why are Google employees protesting Project Nimbus?
Sit-ins last week in New York and Sunnyvale, California, were orchestrated by No Tech For Apartheid, a group that has mobilized Google employees against Project Nimbus since 2021.
Their opposition stems from concerns over their employer’s collaboration with Israel, which is under scrutiny for alleged genocide in its Gaza conflict, facing charges in the International Court of Justice.
Workers in the tech sector are asserting their right to understand the implications of their labour because of the few details and with Project Nimbus shrouded in ambiguity, employees fear their contributions could be used malevolently.
Similar tensions have arisen at Amazon and Meta, where employees have clashed with management over ties to warfare.
“It’s impossible to feel enthusiastic about work when you know your company is supplying products to the Israeli government, aiding in atrocities in Palestine,” stated Tina Vachovsky, a staff software engineer at Google, in a testimonial featured on the No Tech Apartheid website.
According to a 2021 report, Google is furnishing Israel with advanced AI capabilities through Project Nimbus, potentially facilitating data collection for facial recognition and object tracking.
Hence, concerns have been raised by activists and scholars regarding Israel’s deployment of AI in targeting Palestinians, viewed by legal experts as a violation of international law.
“There’s a concerning lack of transparency regarding the project’s scope beyond providing comprehensive cloud computing services, which encompass data storage, management, and sharing,” remarked Ramesh Srinivasan, a professor at UCLA.
“Given its data implications for the Israeli government, including the military, this project underscores the direct involvement of major U.S. tech companies not only in the military-industrial complex but also in directly assisting the Israeli government.”
What Is Google Saying
The tech giant stated that the Nimbus contract “is not aimed at highly sensitive, classified, or military operations relevant to weaponry or intelligence services.”
At the same time, the company stated that it collaborates with various governments worldwide, including Israel.
At least 28 employees were terminated last week for “violating Google’s code of conduct” and its policies on harassment, discrimination, and retaliation.
Additionally, nine Google employees were arrested for participating in sit-ins at the company’s offices in New York and Sunnyvale.
Google CEO Sundar Pichai also issued a subtle caution in a recent blog post stating – “We foster a culture of lively, open discussion that empowers us to develop remarkable products and translate great ideas into action. Preserving this is crucial. However, we are ultimately a workplace, and our policies and expectations are clear: this is a business, not a forum for disruptive behavior, personal agendas, or contentious debates over political matters. This moment is too pivotal for our company to be sidetracked.”
However, despite the warning, tech workers remain undeterred.
Mohammad Khatami, a Google software engineer arrested during the New York sit-in, expressed to U.S. outlet Democracy Now that employees were detained for “voicing opposition against our technology being utilized to facilitate what could be the first AI-driven genocide.”
“On Tuesday, Jane Chung, a spokesperson for No Tech For Apartheid, asserted, ‘Google’s intentions are evident – the corporation seeks to suppress dissent, silence its workforce, and reaffirm control over them.'”
Google stated it terminated additional employees following an investigation that gathered information from coworkers who experienced physical disruptions.
It also identified employees who obscured their identities with masks and did not carry their staff badges. However, the company did not specify the exact number dismissed.
Is there an example of tech workers resisting military partnerships? Amazon and Google employees have previously expressed discontent with Project Nimbus.
For example, last October, they anonymously voiced concerns in an open letter published by The Guardian –
“As conscientious employees from diverse backgrounds at Google and Amazon, we believe our technology should serve and uplift people worldwide, including all users. As integral contributors to these companies, we feel morally compelled to condemn violations of these fundamental principles. Therefore, we urge Amazon and Google leaders to withdraw from Project Nimbus and sever all ties with the Israeli military. Internally, over 90 Google workers and over 300 from Amazon have endorsed this letter. We remain anonymous due to fears of reprisal.”
–In 2018, thousands of Google employees protested against a Pentagon contract known as Project Maven.
–Additionally, in 2017, Google collaborated with the Pentagon to utilize its AI technology for analyzing drone surveillance footage.
–In February, around 30 activists gathered at OpenAI’s San Francisco office entrance after the company quietly lifted a ban on “military and warfare” from its usage policies the previous month.
OpenAI later confirmed its collaboration with the US Department of Defense on open-source cybersecurity solutions.
–During the Mind the Tech conference in New York on March 4, Google employee Eddie Hatfield interrupted proceedings, declaring, “I am a Google Cloud software engineer, and I refuse to develop technology that enables genocide, apartheid, or surveillance!”
Hatfield’s dismissal occurred shortly after his interruption of Google Israel’s Managing Director, Barak Regev, laying the groundwork for the recent protests against Project Nimbus.
–In December last year, a petition signed by 1,700 employees was sent to Amazon CEO Andy Jassy regarding Project Nimbus.
The petition spotlighted concerns that by providing cloud services to the Israeli public sector, Amazon was enhancing the artificial intelligence and surveillance capabilities used by the Israeli military to suppress Palestinian activists and enforce a harsh blockade on Gaza.
Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International have accused Israel of committing international crimes of apartheid against Palestinians. An earlier UN report also leveled accusations of Israel establishing an apartheid regime.
Which tech companies else are linked to the Israeli military?
It’s not solely cloud computing firms offering contracts to the Israeli military.
According to a recent report by Brown University, Roberto J. Gonzalez, a professor of cultural anthropology at San Jose State University, outlines how the US-based company Palantir Technologies is involved with Israel.
“For years, Palantir has held multiple contracts with the Israeli army and expanded its support for Israel following its conflict with Hamas that began in October 2023,” Gonzalez stated in comments published on April 17.
Palantir, a Denver-based data analysis firm specializing in artificial intelligence for military applications, was co-founded by conservative billionaire Peter Thiel.
The company is known for its work with the US National Security Agency, and has previously provided technological solutions to the Israeli military.
The American Friends Service Committee (AFSC), an international organization dedicated to addressing global injustices, has compiled a list of “Companies Profiting from Israel’s 2023-2024 Attacks on Gaza.”
This directory includes over 50 companies from the US, China, Germany, and the United Kingdom.
According to the AFSC Action Center for Corporate Accountability, this represents a form of corporate welfare benefiting not only major arms manufacturers like Lockheed Martin, RTX, Boeing, and General Dynamics, whose stock prices have surged, but also non-traditional defense industry players such as Caterpillar, Ford, and Toyota.
What is known about collaborations between tech firms and military entities worldwide?
A report published by Brown University on April 17 revealed that the US military and intelligence agencies signed contracts worth at least $53 billion between 2019 and 2022.
US-based companies like Clearview AI, headquartered in New York City, supply facial recognition software to aid Ukraine in identifying Russian soldiers and officials involved in the military incursion. Ukraine gained access to Clearview AI’s software at no cost beginning in 2022.
The report also showed the expanding role of major tech firms in the military-industrial complex.
For example, a significant portion of the Pentagon’s $886 billion budget goes to established defense giants like Lockheed Martin, RTX, Northrop Grumman, General Dynamics, Boeing, and BAE Systems; therefore, the influence of big tech companies, venture capital firms, and private equity is growing.
According to the report, the introduction of new technologies can have severe human consequences if not thoroughly tested and vetted.
UCLA professor Srinivasan warns of the potential for wrongful deaths and assassinations resulting from the inevitable mistakes made by AI systems, citing civilian casualties in Gaza as an example.
