The news comes after the tech giant got spotlight for its contract in favor of the Israeli government that entailed a cloud computing initiative. This would bring the total figure for workers fired in the recent past up to 50.
These stats were confirmed by one leading activist organization, No Tech For Apartheid, who revealed how the company is punishing all those who raise their voice against injustice and therefore are getting penalized as a result of the act.
Meanwhile, another representative for the tech giant shed light on how more investigations are being conducted by Google and as more participation of workers seems to be increasing, they’re being shown the door.
A decent number of employees have started to take part in peaceful protests like sit-ins across the firm’s offices in the US. Common locations include New York City and Sunnyvale in California.
As the figure for firings spikes, the company’s CEO has been forced to provide a reply on this front regarding what the matter is really about and how the act is justified. This is where Sundar Pichai appeared in public to inform employees via a public memo on how no one would be allowed to make use of the firm’s platform as something personal "or to fight over disruptive issues or debate politics". He strongly feels that this is not the right way or place to debate such controversial matters.
But representatives from different activist groups fail to agree, adding that every employee has the right to speak their mind, whether he likes it or not. Silencing workers with threats is never okay and Google reasserting its power over such individuals is a poor example of leadership.
Critics condemn Sundar Pichai's stance against using Google's platform for political debates, arguing it stifles crucial discussions on social justice. They accuse Google of fostering a toxic corporate culture that prioritizes profit over employee well-being and moral values. This emphasis on financial gain at the expense of ethical considerations alienates workers and perpetuates a culture of complacency, undermining the company's integrity and social responsibility.
It so happens that this is the same group that publicly spoke out against Google and Amazon in the year 2021.
For those who might not be aware, it was April 22 when dozens of workers were arrested from various universities including NYU and Yale as tensions ran high regarding the conflict arising in the Gaza region.
Many opposed the US government’s stance on the matter and accused it of funding the genocide that has now reached 200 days. Seeing so many pro-Palestinian activists get arrested is worrisome as new waves of demonstrations as set to take center stage with sit-ins being planned across offices and leading highways as well as across entrances for airports as protests.
At the search engine giant’s office, the battle seems to be more between managers and workers who were fired as a result of this. The firm feels every worker that was shown the door caused nothing but disruption of the working environment but those fired claim those accusations to be false as they didn’t even enter the office once.
Google is accused of firing those who chose to leave the sit-in peacefully and even those who had stopped by to chat. Right before terminating them, Google’s investigators were tasked to identify those involved despite many wearing masks.
Therefore, the company is now justifying the act and refuting claims that it was done haphazardly because as per Google, every single termination was personally confirmed before being carried out.
However, those protesting stated how the organization works on a double standard basis in regards to which employees are disciplined and which aren’t. Moreover, a host of workers at Google continue to protest images and names of those working online and are therefore classified as pro-Palestinian.
What is interesting is how one worker is now going as far as to confirm how he was fired and then recalled by the company’s HR who accused him of blatantly taking part in violence and terrorism activities and that left him dumbfounded.
To be called a terrorist was a major deal and this was not something that anyone would take lightly, the fired worker who goes by the name Mohammad Khatami added.
In the past, we’ve seen Google firing many who criticized the firm but to see so many firings taking place as we speak in recent times is a major deal. In the past, the tech giant was said to possess the best reputation as being a diverse workplace that kept workers’ morale high and ensured internal culture was given the greatest importance.
But right now, we don’t see this happening. Many are questioning the decisions made by top leaders. Pichai has tried to defend his company where he added how it celebrated matters like openness in regards to work matters and not politics.
He further elaborated upon the goal of creating the best products as well as showing support for great ideas. What do you think?
Read next: Survey: 53% of Americans Have Used GenAI At Least Once, 82% Say It Supercharges Creativity!
by Dr. Hura Anwar via Digital Information World
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