Google Fires 28 Employees Involved in Protests Over Israeli Government Contract

A Google contract with the Israeli government led to the firing of 28 workers by tech giant Google, who had participated in sit-in protests at their offices. According to The Verge, the layoffs followed the US authorities’ suspension and subsequent arrest of nine employees earlier this week. The Israeli government has a $1.2 billion deal with Google Cloud, which the 28 employees who were asked to leave in protest protested.

The corporation stated that such behavior “has no place in our workplace, and we will not tolerate it” in an internal memo to staff members. “A large portion of our employees behave morally. Google told its workers, “If you’re among the few who are tempted to think we’re going to overlook conduct that violates our policies, think again.” “The company will continue to implement our long-standing policies to take action against disruptive behavior, up to and including termination. We take this very seriously.”

Also Read: Deepak Parekh, Chairman of HDFC Life, Resigns; Keki Mistry Will Lead Board

The protestors dubbed Google’s action a “flagrant act of retaliation.” “Google workers are permitted to protest unjust working conditions in a nonviolent manner. “These terminations were obviously reprisals,” the organization “No Tech for Apartheid” declared. After conducting an inquiry, the corporation declared that “we terminated the employment of twenty-eight employees found to be involved.” We’ll keep looking into this and act when necessary.

Deepak Parekh, Chairman of HDFC Life, Resigns; Keki Mistry Will Lead Board

HDFC Life Insurance’s chairman, Deepak S. Parekh, stepped down from his position, the company said in a trade recording on Thursday. “Deepak S. Parekh has chosen to step down as the Chairman and Non-Executive Executive of the Company, with an impact from nearing trade hours on April 18, 2024,” the company said. The company also said that they have named Keki M. Mistry as the Chairman of the Board.

“The board has consistently endorsed the arrangement of Keki M. Mistry as the Chairman of the Board with prompt impact, subject to the endorsement of the Protections Administrative and Improvement Authority,” the company said. Mistry has been related to the company since December 2000 and is right now acting as a non-executive director. “With the amalgamation of HDFC Restricted with HDFC Bank, Mr. Mistry superannuated from HDFC Constrained and has been named as a non-executive executive on the Board of HDFC Bank Constrained.

He is also an executive on the sheets of a few other noticeable companies,” the trade recording stated. The backup plans also said that VK Viswanathan and Prasad Chandran should desist from being autonomous chiefs of the company after completing their two continuous terms of five years each on April 24, 2024.

Also Read: TCS Witnesses First Net Headcount Drop in Two Decades

Moreover, the company also named Venkatraman Srinivasan as its autonomous chief. “The board has affirmed the arrangement of Mr. Venkatraman Srinivasan as an Extra-Autonomous Director effective April 18, 2024, for a term of five continuous years, subject to the endorsement of the shareholders in the resulting Yearly Common Assembly of the Company,” it said.

TCS Witnesses First Net Headcount Drop in Two Decades

On Friday, Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) disclosed that during the fiscal year 2023–24 (FY24), the company’s headcount decreased by 13,249 people (year over year). The top provider of IT software has seen a decline in personnel for the first time in 19 years.

601,546 people worked for the company at the end of FY24, according to TCS’s stock exchange filing. The top IT software company has experienced a decline in staff for the first time in 19 years.

As per TCS’s stock exchange statement, the company had 601,546 workers at the end of FY24. In the fourth quarter (Q4) of FY 2024, TCS experienced a 1,759 workforce reduction (January to March).

The company’s headcount has decreased for the third straight quarter with this one. There were 5,680 fewer employees in Q2 than there were in Q1 (quarter over quarter), and the corporation saw a net decline of 6,333 workers.

At Rs 12,434 crore for the January-March quarter of FY24, TCS recorded a 9% increase in net profit over the same time the previous year, when it was Rs 11,392 crore.

Also Read: India Emerges as Global Leader in Web3 Adoption with Over 1,000 Startups: Report

“Our delivery centers are much more lively, and the morale of our associates has increased due to the reduced attrition at 12.5%, the positive response to our campus hiring, the increased customer visits, and the employees returning to the office,” chief HR officer Milind Lakkad said in a statement. To Rs 61,237 crore during the quarter, the company’s revenue climbed by 3.5 percent.

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