A person walks by The Spheres at the Amazon.com Inc. headquarters in Seattle, Washington, on Nov. 14, 2022.Amazon suspended a software engineer who protested the company's work with the Israeli government, CNBC has confirmed.Ahmed Shahrour, a Palestinian engineer who works for Amazon's Whole Foods business and is based in Seattle, was informed Monday morning that he was being suspended with pay "until further notice" after he posted messages on Slack criticizing the company's ties to Israel."It has come to ...

Core Viewpoint - The article discusses the heightened security measures and protests at major tech conferences, particularly focusing on Microsoft and Google, in response to the companies' contracts with the Israeli government and the ongoing conflict in Gaza [3][5][12]. Group 1: Security Measures - There has been a significant increase in security requests from tech companies over the past six to nine months, attributed to protests and civil unrest, particularly among Fortune 500 companies [5]. - Google increased its security costs by 22% in 2024, bringing the total to $8.27 million, reflecting a broader trend among S&P 500 companies to enhance security measures [18]. - Security firms report that tech companies are now required to meet higher security standards due to their collaborations with governments, especially in light of the ongoing AI arms race [14][18]. Group 2: Protests and Internal Dissent - Protests at the Microsoft Build conference included employees voicing opposition to the company's contracts with the Israeli military, with demonstrators interrupting keynotes by executives [1][9]. - Microsoft employees have formed groups like "No Azure for Apartheid" to oppose the company's military contracts, indicating a growing internal dissent [7]. - Google faced similar protests against its Project Nimbus, a $1.2 billion deal with the Israeli government, with demonstrators demanding the cancellation of the contract [13]. Group 3: Impact of Current Events - The atmosphere at tech conferences has been tense following the October 2023 Hamas attack on Israel and subsequent military actions in Gaza, contributing to the protests and security concerns [3]. - The protests and heightened security reflect a broader societal response to the political climate and the role of technology companies in military applications [5][14].