As someone living in the U.S. and familiar with the academic and professional paths leading to top companies like Google and Amazon, I can only laugh at the foolish campaign launched by NOTA (No Tech for Apartheid). It’s a cheap, populist campaign without any meaning or impact. What’s troubling is how easily many young people, some of them may be intelligent, are drawn into antisemitic actions against Israel.
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New York anti-Israel protest
(Photo: Michael M. Santiago / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / AFP)
First, the tech industry, including companies like Amazon, Google, and Microsoft, experienced significant layoffs in 2023, with thousands of employees let go. This trend continued into 2024, with predictions of more layoffs to come.
Second, getting a job at leading companies like Google and Amazon is highly competitive. Hundreds of candidates compete for each attractive position because of the excellent benefits, high salaries, and prestigious reputations these companies offer. In other words, for every newly available position, dozens of eager applicants will be happy to join.
Furthermore, many of the world’s leading tech companies have prestigious R&D centers in Israel, and for good reason. One main reason is the educated, creative, and high-quality talent in Israel responsible for many leading innovations. A few employees/students boycotting these companies because of their ties to Israel, will definitely not lead to the shutdown of these valuable R&D centers.
In fact, this boycott is meaningless and helps these leading companies filter out low-quality candidates who cannot think independently and follow the herd without questioning. No company wants such employees, and no one in the industry is looking for antisemites. Good luck to them in their future careers.
Dr. Amit SarusiAs Israelis who want to maintain and promote our global status, we should be concerned about the growing incitement and antisemitism worldwide. We must fight it at a state level immediately while creating a robust public relations strategy to change the narrative in the long run.
Changing Israel’s reputation is a complex strategic battle that we must win. The government must provide the necessary resources for this, as a failure will cost lives.
- Dr. Amit Serusi is a strategic consultant and angel investor; He is an Israeli-born citizen residing in Philadelphia