“Tech companies have long tried to sell us workers on the myth that as long as we invest in the mission of our employer, work hard, and aspire to embody their corporate values, we would enjoy pay, benefits, job security, and dignity on the job that are unprecedented in other industries.

Of course, this was never true. Now, our billionaire bosses pit us against one another in hunger games-like competition for our jobs, work us to the bone under fear of termination, and arbitrarily fire thousands of our colleagues and comrades. Tech workers are now waking up to the cruel reality that we are just as disposable as any other worker in any other industry.

Recent firings across the industry bring to light the lack of voice we have in crucial business decisions. Case in point: Mark Zuckerberg poured $15 billion into a bad business bet, just to later use it as the excuse to fire 11,000 of his workers. It seems Zuckerberg has forgotten that workers built the business that made him a billionaire and one of the most powerful men in the world.

It may be tempting to dismiss the plight of tech workers, who are painted in the popular imagination as highly-paid and privileged. However, this erases the reality that these workers still face grueling hours, unrealistic deadlines, harassment and discrimination on the job, and a lack of voice over their working conditions. Additionally, there is an underclass of temporary workers, vendors, and contractors around the world who make low wages with few benefits and less job security, who are being disproportionately impacted by the recent firings and hiring freezes. These workers are just as essential to our businesses as any of us, yet are pushed into the shadows by our executives to divide us, stop us from recognizing that we are all in the same struggle, and obscure the fact that together, we can build and wield real power.

It is not too late. As tech workers, we can take back power in our workplaces by standing together and organizing for greater power on the job and a real voice in decision making. We are in solidarity with any and all workers whose livelihoods are being destroyed because of the billionaire class’ negligence and greed, and we will continue to organize to protect and empower Alphabet workers and workers everywhere.”—Jenny Rosewood, Technical Writer at Google and member of the Alphabet Workers Union-CWA.

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