- cross-posted to:
- news@lemmy.world
- cross-posted to:
- news@lemmy.world
Google fired 28 employees in connection with sit-in protests at two of its offices this week, according to an internal memo obtained by The Verge. The firings come after 9 employees were suspended and then arrested in New York and California on Tuesday.
In a memo sent to all employees on Wednesday, Chris Rackow, Google’s head of global security, said that “behavior like this has no place in our workplace and we will not tolerate it.”
He also warned that the company would take more action if needed: “The overwhelming majority of our employees do the right thing. If you’re one of the few who are tempted to think we’re going to overlook conduct that violates our policies, think again. The company takes this extremely seriously, and we will continue to apply our longstanding policies to take action against disruptive behavior — up to and including termination.”
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“Don’t be evil”
They dropped that one quietly a couple of years ago. I guess around the time they started doing contracts for Israel?
Edit: just Googled what this project nimbus is all about, and it sounds like basically building data centres in Israel, which is fair enough, but it ends with this titbit:
The terms Israel set for the project contractually forbid Amazon and Google from halting services due to boycott pressure.[7][8] The tech companies are also forbidden from denying service to any particular government entities.[8]
That’s not something you put in your contract unless you’re planning on doing something that’ll attract boycotts
That’s not something you put in your contract unless you’re planning on doing something that’ll attract boycotts
Would genocide count? 🤔
Unfortunately it doesn’t appear to be enough for most western countries.
I mean for many (myself included) setting up shop in Israel is reason enough for boycotting an organisation.
The tech companies are also forbidden from denying service to any particular government entities.
That includes Palestine, right?
Right?
They didn’t drop it. It was still in the handbook in 2022 when I signed it.
People like to claim they dropped it: but it’s still there.
Now since I was laid off in the mass 2023 wave I can’t speak to it’s current state but I’d be shocked if they removed it.
It was dropped by alphabet from their handbook.
Almost 10 years ago iirc.
My guy I literally worked there and signed the employee handbook. Don’t Be Evil was right before you signed if I remember right. Regardless: it is 100% in the handbook.
Alphabet <> Google.
The parent company, Alphabet, removed it from the handbook. I couldn’t tell you if they put it back in, but Alphabet removed it about 10 years ago.
This is not some conspiracy theory, it was released, they replaced that section of the handbook.
ETA:
Following Google’s corporate restructuring under the conglomerate Alphabet Inc. in October 2015, Alphabet took “Do the right thing” as its motto, also forming the opening of its corporate code of conduct.[1][2][3][4][5] The original motto was retained in Google’s code of conduct, now a subsidiary of Alphabet. Between 21 April and 4 May 2018, the motto was removed from the code of conduct’s preface and retained in its last sentence.[6]
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Don’t_be_evil
https://www.engadget.com/2015/10/02/alphabet-do-the-right-thing/
https://www.fastcompany.com/3056389/why-google-was-smart-to-drop-its-dont-be-evil-motto
http://time.com/4060575/alphabet-google-dont-be-evil/
https://www.searchenginejournal.com/google-dont-be-evil/254019/
Your memory of the Google handbook isn’t really relevant.
The original motto was retained in Google’s code of conduct, now a subsidiary of Alphabet. Between 21 April and 4 May 2018, the motto was removed from the code of conduct’s preface and retained in its last sentence.[6]
The original motto was retained.
You’re mistaking “it’s not the first line” with “it got removed”
Linking news articles from click bait sites doesn’t help your argument.
Dude.
Please read what I said. ALPHABET.
ALPHABET HAS A DIFFERENT HANDBOOK. I have said this multiple times now.
And I will say again - Alphabet copied the handbook in restructuring then removed it.
The Google handbook IS NOT RELEVANT AT ALL. READ WHAT I WROTE.
Ok so, “behavior like this has no place in our workplace and we will not tolerate it.”
But secretly selling services to a genocidal ethnostate does belong in the Google workplace and will be tolerated? Palestinians just don’t matter if you can you make a dollar off of their death and destruction??
https://time.com/6966102/google-contract-israel-defense-ministry-gaza-war/
Well yeah, Google likes money.
Somebody in this comment section didn’t get the memo
Happy to be almost degoogled when I read such things.
If only it was easy to get rid of YouTube…
At least you can use things like NewPipe, or FreeTube (for now).
I might start trying that just to avoid giving money/data to Google. I just wonder if there is an app and if the creators would still get paid. Would someone know?
Nebula is one app I hear yt creators mention often. Specifically FD Signifier and Foreign Man in A Foreign Land, but there are many other creators who use it too. There is also Greyjay, which I think is built specifically for what you are asking.
Not that I am a fan of google, but those people signed a contract that prohibits certain behavior, so I cant really blame the company this time.
Google had a “don’t be evil” clause as well.
The memo looks like it comes straight out of dystopian novel
How did we get here
Capitalism.
What’s dystopian about it? Employees violated company policy and they were fired because of it. There are acceptable and unacceptable ways to handle it, and those employees chose to handle it unprofessionally.
If they want to protest on their own time and on public property, they should have every right. But protesting on company property shouldn’t have any special protections.
I’m no fan of Google and I think their business choices are despicable, but that doesn’t change the fact that first amendment protections do not apply in a typical workplace, they only serve to restrict government action. So it’s completely unsurprising that Google fired employees who destroyed company property and disrupted the work environment.
Google PRIDES itself on progressivism and diversity. From transgender visibility to veganism. Google showered Ukrainian and Israeli employees with support and gave them a platform, but Palestinian supporters were left out. Say Ukrainians are dying and google will support you and even donate for you. Protest Google’s military contract that kills Palestinian civilians and violates the company ethics policies and you get fired?
This will blemish google’s reputation for a long time to come. IBM is still in the history books as helping the Nazis.
Google prides itself on making money and attracting top talent. Destructive and disruptive protests negatively impacts both. So AFAICT, they weren’t fired for the content of their speech, but the manner in which they chose to express it (i.e. disrupting business).
I doubt they wouldn’t can fired for taking time off to protest outside company property, it was likely due to their choice to damage and disrupt work in the buildings.
We all know that’s inconsistent. Let’s start with the fact that if this was just about money, Google wouldn’t be investing money on expensive like green initiatives or large donations to nonprofits.
If employees wanted to take time off to grieve for the LGBT deaths at the Pulse nightclub shooting, the company would have supported them. Would they have done the same for people grieving over dead Palestinian children, or fire them for not meeting their work requirements or ‘disrupting business’? Would Google fire employees who staged a sit-in over anti-Semitism in the workplace?
Google broke their corporate ethics by allying with a military for a lucrative contract; employees SHOULD be calling them out on it.
Google has broken their corporate ethics so many times I lost count. But that’s not what’s at issue here.
The employees here broke the law by destroying Google property. That’s why they were fired, not specifically because of their speech (though I’m sure that motivated a more aggressive response).
I totally agree that employees should be calling them out on it, but they should do so without breaking the law. Protest on public property just outside the building. Raise awareness with fellow employees who may not be aware. Write open letters. But don’t break the law, that’ll just get you fired and maybe arrested.
“How dare you protest genocide. The majority of our employees shut the fuck up about us supporting genocide, get in line or get cut.”
