Employees of Big Tech are speaking out like never before

A file photo of Google employees holding up signs during a walkout rally at Harry Bridges Plaza in San Francisco to protest against what they said is the tech company's mishandling of sexual misconduct allegations against executives. Employees at Google, Amazon, Microsoft and elsewhere are increasingly speaking out about military warfare, immigration and the environment, and questioning the effects of their work. Experts say it’s an unprecedented trend of activism in Big Tech. — Photos: AP

SAN FRANCISCO: When Liz O'Sullivan was hired at the New York City-based artificial intelligence company Clarifai in 2017, she felt lucky to find work at the intersection of two of her main interests: technology and ethics. Two years later, she found herself facing a moral dilemma.

Clarifai was developing aerial photography and object detection tools as one of several companies working on Project Maven, a Pentagon drone surveillance program. After several conversations with friends and colleagues, O'Sullivan realised this type of technology eventually could be used for autonomous weapons.