Google’s CEO, Sundar Pichai, has reminded his employees that the company’s workspace is not a place for political debates. This assertion came after the controversial termination of 28 staff members involved in anti-Israel protests.
In the recent past, Google faced a turbulent situation when 28 of its employees staged sit-ins at the company’s offices across New York, Seattle, and Sunnyvale, California. These protests were aimed at Google’s $1.2 billion contract with the Israeli government, dubbed “Project Nimbus.”
The aftermath of these sit-ins led to the arrest of nine workers and the termination of 28 staff members. This dramatic incident prompted the CEO’s statement that Google is not a place for political debates.
Sundar Pichai, in a detailed 1,200-word memo, emphasized that Google is a business and not a platform for political debates or disruptive behavior. He asserted that such actions that make coworkers feel unsafe or disrupt their work are unacceptable.
“Google is a business, and not a place to act in a way that disrupts co-workers or makes them feel unsafe, to attempt to use the company as a personal platform, or to fight over disruptive issues or debate politics.”
According to Pichai, Google’s primary goal is to “organize the world’s information and make it universally accessible and useful.” He expects all employees to act with a focus that reflects this goal.
Google’s Vice President of Global Security, Chris Rackow, also commented on the situation, criticizing the disruptive actions of the protesting employees. He stated that their behavior was unacceptable and made their coworkers feel threatened.
The terminated employees were associated with No Tech For Apartheid, a group critical of Google’s response to the Israel-Hamas war and the Project Nimbus contract. The group had shared multiple videos and livestreams of the protests on its social media account, including scenes where employees received final warnings and were arrested by local police for trespassing.
Google’s rival, Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, has similar policies at its headquarters. It prohibits discussions on topics including health matters, legal matters, political issues, and weapon ownership and rights.
