Google fires 20 more over protests, says report. What is Project Nimbus & why are Googlers protesting?

livemint.com:

Google has yet to respond to queries, the report added. Livemint could not independently confirm the development. Also Read | Google Consolidates Teams With Aim to Create AI Products Faster The tech giant dismissed 28 employees on April 17 for demonstrating against Project Nimbus, a $1.2 billion defence contract between Google and Israel.

The "sit-in" protests at Google's offices in New York and Sunnyvale (California) lasted eight hours on April 16 and resulted in the arrest of nine employees. Google said the employees were terminated for "completely unacceptable behaviour", creating a threatening atmosphere and hindering other workers from doing their jobs. It also said that investigations are still on, indicating more firings, as per AP.

No Tech For Apartheid has in a blog post stated that the protests were "peaceful" and received overwhelming support from other employees who were not participating. “This flagrant act of retaliation is a clear indication that Google values its $1.2 billion contract with the genocidal Israeli government and military more than its own workers," No Tech For Apartheid said. Also Read | Iran's Khamenei thanks armed forces for attacking Israel as two nations tamp down broader conflict fears | 10 points Google CEO Sundar Pichai in a blog post on April 18 said the company is powering ahead with its AI initiatives, calling this a pivotal moment in the industry.

“This is a business and not a place to act in a way that disrupts coworkers or makes them feel unsafe, to attempt to use the company as a personal platform, or to fight over disruptive issues or debate politics. This is too important a moment as a company for us to be distracted," Pichai wrote. Also Read | What is the Netzah Yehuda