A Google spokesperson confirmed that additional employees have been fired as the company continues to investigate the April 16 protests, which included sit-ins at Google's offices in New York City and Sunnyvale, California.
The firings come after CEO Sundar Pichai warned employees in a company-wide memo about using the company as a “personal platform” or “fighting over disruptive issues or discussing politics.” It happened just days after he said it shouldn't be done.
“The company has suppressed opposition, silenced workers, and “We are trying to reassert power over workers.”
The protests at Google are part of a wave of opposition to the US government and companies collaborating with the Israeli government and military. Arrests of pro-Palestinian protesters at Yale and Columbia universities in recent days have spurred accusations of high-handedness by university authorities and sparked a renewed wave of demonstrations at other universities across the country. The day before the Google sit-in, activists blocked highways, bridges and airport entrances across the United States to protest the war in Gaza.
At Google, the situation has become a public dispute between Google managers and fired employees. Google says each fired employee actively disrupted its offices. The company disputes this claim, saying some of those fired did not even enter the company's offices on the day of organized protests against the company.
Google has fired employees who publicly criticized the company in the past, but never this many at once. For years, Google had a reputation as one of the freest and most open of Big Tech companies. Office culture and collaboration. The company praised its internal culture, where employees are encouraged to know what other teams are working on and question their leaders' decisions.
In a memo to employees, Pichai said the company's openness is a strength, but it applies to work topics, not politics.
“We have a vibrant culture of open discussion that allows us to build great products and turn great ideas into action,” he said in a memo posted online by the company. Ta. “But at the end of the day, we are a workplace, and our policies and expectations are clear. This is a business.”
