It’s early morning, and Zelda Montes walks briskly through the crisp New York air as they head to Google’s headquarters on Manhattan’s 9th Avenue. Montes, who self-identifies as they, fumbles with their ID card at the entrance, blending in with the steady stream of Googlers swiping through the security barriers as if it were just another day at the office.
Armed with an oversized tote bag, Montes pulls back their purple hair and heads to the 13th-floor canteen to order their usual: a dirty chai and an egg, avocado, and cheese sandwich with a bowl of raspberries.
Their hands tremble slightly as they grip the coffee cup.
Locking eyes with two others, they get the signal that the coast is clear, head down to the entrance, and sit. The three Googlers unfurl their banners and begin chanting to demand that Google do one thing: Drop Project Nimbus.
But this will be the last time they sit inside Google’s New York office as Googlers, as Google itself refers to its own employees. “Getting fired felt like a possibility but never a reality,” remarked Montes, one of 50 employees fired by Google for staging a 10-hour sit-in at one of its American offices in April.
For the last three years, Montes has been one of several activists calling for Google to drop Project Nimbus, a partnership Google and Amazon have with the Israeli government reportedly worth $1.2bn.
Would it be more effective to sabotage your own work in such a place?
That could get you in worse trouble than just getting fired.
Everyone makes mistakes. I know what my mistakes look like in general, and have the self awareness for plausible deniability. I’m not all that bright, so I assume someone in this position is more skilled and capable than I.
Depends on how many people are willing to take a stand simultaneously and how replaceable they are.
Similar to a union strike if enough people stop working the employer has no option but to cave in to the demands.
But the initial wave is usually the one meeting the most resistance when most people in a group aren’t even open to an idea. It takes brave people who are willing to take the initial stand when it’s still uncomfortable to do so.