How did the Israeli tech community react to the conflict?

According to the Israel Innovation Authority, the country's technology sector accounts for nearly one-fifth of its annual gross domestic product, making it the largest economic contributor in the country. The technology sector also employs approximately 10% of the total workforce.

Dvir Ben-Aroya, co-founder of Spike, a workplace collaboration platform with clients such as Fiverr, Snowflake, Spotify, and Wix, quickly decided to have all employees work from home in the short term, and the company will even assist those who wish to leave Israel with their families. At least 10% of Spike's staff have accepted the offer, and this number could increase in the coming weeks.

israel hamass.jpg — Many tech company employees enlisted in the military after the conflict broke out.

Meanwhile, cybersecurity firm Pentera allows employees to take time off as needed. Operating in over 20 countries, with the largest number of employees based in Israel, the company specializes in conducting simulated attacks on large businesses such as BNP Paribas, Chanel, and Sephora to identify system vulnerabilities.

Enlist in the military.

A significant number of tech employees have been called up for reserve military service, with the mobilization totaling around 360,000 Israelis to date. Amitai Ratzon, CEO of Pentera, said the company has more than 20 of its best engineers who have received conscription notices, “some are on the front lines.”

Isaac Heller, CEO of Trullion, an accounting automation startup based in Tel Aviv, told CNBC that the company's chief financial officer, who had just completed its 2024 financial forecast, immediately received a bulletproof vest to join the Israel Defense Forces.

Of the nearly 450 employees at digital bank One Zero, about 10% have been put on probation, CEO Gal Bar Dea told CNBC. The work of those leaving is being volunteered to be taken over by the remaining employees.

“Someone said he had to go into military service, and three other employees volunteered to take his place. I had the feeling business was going on as usual and everything was progressing normally,” Bar Dea said.

One Zero is currently developing a chatbot similar to ChatGPT, and they have decided not to postpone the launch date of this new product, even though the project leader has enlisted in the Air Force.

Volunteer outside of working hours

According to Bar Dea, the community organization is working overtime to develop technology tools specifically for the conflict, such as a missing persons bulletin board website, cyberattack prevention tools, GoFundMe-like tools, and even resources for finding psychologists online.

“That’s what makes Israel a startup nation,” Bar Dea asserted. “Within days, people were able to raise funds, carry out humanitarian work, evacuate children, and build new settlements. Technology companies were simultaneously building networking and communication tools to help people…”

Yaniv Sadka, an investment partner at aMoon, a venture capital fund specializing in health and life sciences technology, said that “many members of the tech community have enlisted in the military” or volunteered. This is a sight he “has never seen before.”

However, it wasn't without its difficulties. “It’s exciting to be the CEO of a bank or a tech company, but I’m also a father of two,” Bar Dea shared, describing the blaring air raid sirens at headquarters and his wife taking their two children to the bomb shelter. “It was quite challenging because we’d never experienced anything like this before. Everyone was trying to help each other figure out how to handle it from both a business and family perspective.”

Meanwhile, Sadka admitted, "It's difficult to concentrate on work when you have to deal with personal issues like ensuring your own safety and protecting the country."

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