February 7, 2026
Don’t be evil? Commenters say LOL
Google staff call for firm to cut ties with ICE
Workers say drop ICE now as commenters predict firings and push unions
TLDR: Nearly 900 Googlers want the company to cut ties with ICE and explain how its tech is used in immigration enforcement. Commenters split between union-first pragmatists, “don’t be evil is dead” cynics, and jokers predicting mass firings—testing whether Google will repeat its Project Maven retreat or ride out the outrage.
Nearly 900 Google employees signed an open letter demanding the company cut ties with ICE (the U.S. immigration agency) and be transparent about how its tech is used in enforcement. After reports of violent and deadly incidents linked to federal operations, one longtime Googler said he’s no longer proud to work there—evoking 2018’s Project Maven retreat from military drones. The internet pounced.
The loudest chorus? Union now, or nothing. One commenter argues tech staff have “low leverage” in a layoff era and need collective power before taking on government contracts. Others go full cynic: the “don’t be evil” vibe is long gone, and nobody expects execs to ditch big-money deals—especially if workers aren’t ready to walk. The gallows humor is relentless: a top-voted quip imagines the headline changing by Monday to “900 former Google employees.”
The thread splinters into hot takes and escalation. Some want Amazon and Microsoft dragged into the same fight, while another calls out Google’s links to other controversial partners, warning that outfits like Palantir could keep ICE humming through proxy services. The sharpest jab claims Google wouldn’t “cut ties to genocide,” let alone local police. Fans of the letter say conscience matters; skeptics say it’s moral theater unless leadership—or paychecks—are on the line. Will this be a Maven-style mutiny that lands, or just another Slack storm?
Key Points
- •Nearly 900 Google employees signed an open letter seeking transparency on how Google’s tech is used by the U.S. government and calling for cuts to immigration enforcement ties.
- •Google has federal contracts for cloud services and links to work related to immigration enforcement agencies.
- •A seven-year Google employee criticized the company’s continued ties to DHS-led enforcement as “mind-boggling” and “abhorrent.”
- •The letter follows a separate cross-company appeal by hundreds of workers at Amazon, Microsoft, and Meta to end tech support for the federal immigration crackdown.
- •In 2018, Google ended its Pentagon Project Maven contract following employee pressure; current activism occurs amid escalated ICE/CBP operations and two high-profile killings of U.S. citizens observing agents.