[johnhess]

I'd be eager to know if these layoffs are cover for firing "inconvenient" employees. Google's fired Timnit Gebru, labor organizers, and recently folks who protested a contract with the Israeli Defense Forces. It's kind of their thing at this point.

[kcplate]

> folks who protested a contract with the Israeli Defense Forces

I encourage anyone who believes this was somehow unjust or an overreaction to pick a pet cause and go disrupt executive offices at their own company to see if your company would act differently.

[dunekid]

True, It is not unjust. It is justified. Unlike the occupation and genocide assisted by Google, that they were protesting. I mean if you could getaway with working and aiding a genocidal apartheid regime, you could getaway with a lot of things.

[kcplate]

I think you could make a case that if any of these fired employees were employed at google prior to project Nimbus contracts they were already complicit by their silence and unwillingness to perform a terminate-able protest stunt against quite a few other shady google deals with problematic governments.

It’s a murky world out there and Google is a global company that gave up the “Don’t be evil” motto nearly a decade ago. If you expect to work for an altruistic org—go work for one. That ain't Google and your fat TC package you enjoy is going to come with some taint and stink.

[dunekid]

For sure it is a murky world. It becomes less murky by not doing business with genocidal regimes, who are actively committing crimes against humanity now. I think we both agree that a less murky world is better? Altruistic org, nah, these people just wanted less blood on their paychecks, maybe. Or just that the organisation they work is not complicit in these heinous crimes.

[kcplate]

> these people just wanted less blood on their paychecks, maybe. Or just that the organisation they work is not complicit in these heinous crimes

They succeeded in their mission then. They have the option of having both of those things which Google provided to them vis-á-viv their termination. Google made the decision they couldn’t make on their own.

[jinushaun]

The protesters are justified in protesting genocide. The company is justified in firing disruptive employees.

I guess we’re not mature enough to understand that two opposing groups can both be right.