Amazon Web Services, a division of Amazon.com Inc., experienced disruption at a recent conference in Washington due to protesters calling for an end to a $1.2 billion contract with the Israeli government, which is also shared with Alphabet Inc.’s Google. The protests occurred as Dave Levy, Amazon Web Services’ vice president overseeing public sector sales, was beginning to speak. Audience members interrupted the event accusing Amazon of complicity in genocide related to Israel’s conflict with Hamas in Gaza.
The disrupted contract, known as Project Nimbus, involves the transition of government and military technology infrastructure to cloud computing services provided by Amazon and Google. Protesters, including members of the No Tech For Apartheid coalition, were escorted out of the conference. Videos of the event were later released by the coalition, highlighting their opposition to the deal. Earlier this year, Google terminated 28 employees who had protested against the contract.
In response to the disruptions and allegations, Amazon Web Services emphasized their commitment to making cloud technology available to all customers regardless of their location. A spokesperson for Amazon, Duncan Neasham, stated that the company is dedicated to ensuring the safety of their employees, supporting those affected by conflicts, and partnering with humanitarian organizations to assist those impacted by war.
The protests and disruptions at the conference shed light on the increasing scrutiny faced by tech companies involved in government contracts, especially those related to contentious political situations. As Amazon and Google continue to navigate these challenges, it is evident that they will need to address concerns from both employees and the public about the ethical implications of their business decisions.
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