Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Google fires employee who protested Israel tech event, shuts forum

cnbc.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

131–140 of 368 posts

Re: Google fires employee who protested Israel tech event, shuts forum

#131

Post by GordonS »

fny wrote: post #61
bluefishinit wrote: post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Why would a big tech company be hosting an event with a state committing genocide? That (and working with said regime) is the problem, not people protesting. It's not possible to be a consumer brand and support Israel. The world is too divided and it's not getting any less so.

[flagged]

The ICJ case wasn't intended to say "yes/no" to "is Israel committing genocide?" - the purpose was see if there was that risk. They found there is a plausible risk that Israel is committing genocide.

US-backed Israel has recently been shown to have misrepresented itself to the ICJ multiple times - I can dig up a link later if you're curious.

And in January Netanyahu said: “No one will stop us, not The Hague, not the axis of evil and not anyone else" - I don't think what the ICJ says matters one jot to US-backed Israel.

I won't go into what people have been able to see with their own eyes for the past 5 months, despite the incredible level of bias in MSM, censorship on social media, and the best efforts of Israel's Hasbara.

Re: Google fires employee who protested Israel tech event, shuts forum

#133

Post by egberts1 »

aaomidi wrote: post #103
fny wrote: post #61

Earlier quoted context omitted.

[flagged]

ICJ was not asked to convict Israel of committing genocide. That was not in the initial ask. The ask was to force Israel to stop its military operation. The ICJ's provisional verdict was _actually pretty bad_ for Israel: "The aforementioned facts and circumstances are sufficient to conclude that at least some rights of the Palestinians to be protected from acts of genocide and related prohibited acts in Article 3 of…

ICJ didn't ask to stop anything but it did ORDER Israel to do the following:

https://global.upenn.edu/perryworldhouse/news/explaining-int...

Re: Google fires employee who protested Israel tech event, shuts forum

#134

Post by CommanderData »

hd4 wrote: post #65

really hoping dang doesn't let this get flagged off the front page like similar threads on this subject, even though it's obviously contentious. this is a conversation that needs to be had and also recorded for posterity.

Israel has a professional misinformation and cyber warfare arm. It isn't even denied. Professional as in AC office's and salaried.

I have no doubt they actively work in forums like these and try their best at applying pressure for which works sometimes and other times does not.

Re: Google fires employee who protested Israel tech event, shuts forum

#135

Post by goethes_kind »

blueflow wrote: post #5

Why is employee dissent such a problem in google and not a problem in other companies?

Because smart moral people don't let themselves be used for evil and smart people also have options to work elsewhere. The guy knew he was going to get fired and he did not care because he was already determined not to work for an evil employer.

He could have left quietly, but he decided to take a personal hit to bring awareness to the issue. That makes him a hero in my eyes.

Re: Google fires employee who protested Israel tech event, shuts forum

#137

Post by jodleif »

throwaway118899 wrote: post #76
Kapura wrote: post #8

>“This behavior is not okay, _regardless of the issue,_ and the employee was terminated for violating our policies.” There are some issues that are worth speaking up about. There are some issues that are worth being fired over.

[flagged]

I can’t figure out if this is some sort of advanced joke or not- considering the original meaning of “idiot”

Re: Google fires employee who protested Israel tech event, shuts forum

#138

Post by salawat »

hayst4ck wrote: post #57
reactordev wrote: post #48

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This needs to be emphasized more. It's not that they took a stance, it's definitely how they did it that warranted being fired over it.

What's a good way to take a stance?

The manager's preferred way is with them in private so they can keep their thumb on the network effects and optics, or just bury it altogether.

Any means of generating substantive resonance within an org is jealously reserved by those at the top of an organizational hierarchy.

It's a Catch-22, but part of Activist 101. If you aren't drawing ire, getting retaliated against, or getting surveilled by someone, odds are you aren't being a terribly effective Activist.

Re: Google fires employee who protested Israel tech event, shuts forum

#139

Post by aaomidi »

Workaccount2 wrote: post #121
aaomidi wrote: post #111

When I was at Google, Google was systematically silencing Arabs and Palestinians. They had brought in a specific team to comb through memegen and silence any pro-Palestinian (literally pro the people, while anti Hamas) messaging. While I was there, multiple Googlers actively reached out to me and other Arabs and asked them "Do you support Hamas?" These also weren't just low-level employees either. I had these experie…

[flagged]

No one was supporting Hamas.

Again, read the initial message. (I'm just going to flag anyone who keeps actively misreading this at this point.)

Re: Google fires employee who protested Israel tech event, shuts forum

#140

Post by colechristensen »

unstyledcontent wrote: post #97
colechristensen wrote: post #68

Earlier quoted context omitted.

How is this not just racist behavior? An Israeli presenter who is based in Israel is being protested. Was there any connection beyond that to the war?

I don't know the opinions of this particular speaker but my feelings towards the actions of the Israeli government make me opposed to any business relationship with that country until they end their genocide against Gaza.

Then don't work at Google or plenty of other large companies who have offices in Israel and do business with Israel.

I'm not saying your opinion is wrong, you do you.

Post reply on HN