The big tech defectors you’re not hearing about

Among the biggest stories in the tech world of late have been the string of high-profile resignations of workers at the major AI companies. Employees like Jacob Coxon at Anthropic have quit their jobs with splashy warnings that AI companies might build a machine god so powerful it exterminates humanity. Those workers get invited onto primetime news shows and weeks of high-profile media coverage.
And yet, workers who’ve protested, resigned, or been fired for speaking up about the harms these companies are causing right now are given nowhere near the same treatment. This is maddening, because the AI companies are currently, as we speak, helping to automate, abet and facilitate mass death in Iran, Gaza, and Ukraine; we don’t have to speculate about some future tragedy; the tech companies are directly involved in those tragedies, right now, as I speak these words.
This week, on Blood in the Machine, we’ll talk with another employee who was fired from Apple after speaking out against the company’s policies with regards to Palestine, and its treatment of Palestinian employees. Tariq Ra’ouf helped found Apples Against Apartheid, and on October 23, the launch day for iPhone Duo, the group calls on communities everywhere to picket their local Apple Stores.
Tariq Ra’ouf on Instagram (instagram.com/tariq_raouf)Apples Against Apartheid (applesagainstapartheid.com)
Blood in the Machine: The Newsletter (bloodinthemachine.com)Brian’s Bluesky (bsky.app/profile/bcmerchant.bsky.social)
Producer Ryan’s Newsletter (thestorieswetell.co)Ryan’s Bluesky (bsky.app/profile/thestorieswetell.co)
Stories Mentioned
Apple facing new forced labor and child labor charges - FreedomUnited (freedomunited.org/news/apple-child-labor-lawsuit)
US group sues Apple over Congo conflict minerals | CNBC Africa (cnbcafrica.com/2025/us-group-sues-apple-over-c…)
Apple accused by DR Congo of using conflict minerals (bbc.com/news/articles/cn8g540wz3jo)
Protesters worldwide claim that Apple is complicit in human rights violations in the DRC and Gaza; co. did not respond (business-humanrights.org/en/latest-news/protes…)
Apple Accused of Using “Blood Minerals” in the Congo (bostonpoliticalreview.org/post/apple-accused-o…)
Apple employees demand CEO Tim Cook speak up for Palestinian lives (prismreports.org/2024/04/09/apple-employees-ce…)
Team Congo (teamcongordc.com)
Friends of the Congo (friendsofthecongo.org)
Rotten to the Core: How the Gaza genocide has revealed anti-Palestinian racism at Apple – Mondoweiss (mondoweiss.net/2024/06/rotten-to-the-core-how-…)
“When the Bubble Bursts”: Naomi Klein & Astra Taylor on Reclaiming Democracy from AI Oligarchs (youtube.com/watch?v=jWmkQIoLvug)
The Ukraine ‘Kill Zone’ Is AI’s Testing Ground - WSJ (wsj.com/opinion/the-ukraine-kill-zone-is-ais-t…)
Iran war shows how AI speeds up military ‘kill chains’ (theconversation.com/iran-war-shows-how-ai-spee…)
Probes Reveal Depth of Big Tech Complicity in Israel’s AI-Driven Gaza Slaughter | Common Dreams (commondreams.org/news/big-tech-gaza-genocide)
Google DeepMind Engineer Resigns in Protest of Pentagon Contract (theintercept.com/2026/10/21/google-deepmind-re…)
Brazil’s President Lula Accuses Meta of Helping His Right-Wing Opponent - The New York Times (nytimes.com/2026/10/14/world/americas/brazil-p…)
Musk Ordered Starlink Slowdown That Blindsided Ukraine - WSJ (wsj.com/world/ukraine-starlink-elon-musk-trump…)

Get full access to Blood in the Machine at bloodinthemachine.com/subscribe?utm_medium=pod…