Google promised never to build AI weapons; then director René Mayrhofer resigned when the tech giant broke that promise

Published 12 June 2026 · tech

René Mayrhofer, a senior Android security official, has quit Google after the tech giant signed a contract giving the US Department of Defense access to

René Mayrhofer, a senior Android security official, has quit Google after the tech giant signed a contract giving the US Department of Defense access to its artificial intelligence systems for classified military work. A senior Google director has resigned in protest over the company's decision to supply artificial intelligence technology to the US military, saying the move made his departure "unavoidable" and that leadership had abandoned the ethical principles that once defined the company. René Mayrhofer, director for Android platform security, confirmed to Business Insider that he had circulated a farewell letter to colleagues on 18 May, in which he accused Google's top leadership of quietly reversing its commitments on both climate and warfare, and warned that the Pentagon deal could ultimately be used against European citizens. Why a Google director walked away from one of tech's most coveted jobs Mayrhofer, who joined Google in 2017 and holds a tenured academic position at Johannes Kepler University Linz in Austria, said the company he accepted a job offer from no longer resembles the one he works for today. "Google management has quietly abandoned the goals to become carbon-neutral because of the AI model energy usage," he wrote in the note, which he later published on his personal blog.

“Worse, the current Google management is now signing deals with the US Ministry of War, where 'any lawful purpose' by the current US government has already been repeatedly demonstrated to be in violation of international laws.” He told Business Insider he "can't/won't personally align with the overall company direction" of working with the US military, while being careful to note there are "very good people left" on his team. Pentagon AI contract that triggered the resignation Google announced in late April that it had signed an agreement with the US Department of Defense to provide AI technology for classified operations, including military planning and intelligence gathering, according to Business Insider's earlier reporting. The deal drew immediate criticism from within the workforce, with some employees having previously lobbied leadership not to proceed. A Google spokesperson told Business Insider the company was "proud" to be part of a consortium of AI laboratories providing services "in support of national security," adding: "We remain committed to the private and public sector consensus that AI should not be used for domestic mass surveillance or autonomous weaponry without appropriate human oversight." How Google's AI ethics principles were quietly dismantled At the centre of Mayrhofer's grievances is what he describes as a pattern of decisions made without internal debate or transparency.