Google’s chief executive has told staff to leave their politics at home in a rebuke to employees who have campaigned against its work with the Israeli government. Sundar Pichai said that the office was not a place “to fight over disruptive issues or debate politics” amid fierce disagreements between its employees. The edict marks a decisive shift from Google, which has long been seen as a beacon of a collegiate Silicon Valley culture encouraging political debate. Google once told employees to “bring their whole selves to work” and supported widespread political discussions on its internal discussion boards. But the policy has threatened to backfire in recent years as the company has been rocked by a string of employee protests over defence contracts and gender inequality. On Wednesday Google sacked 28 staff who had staged a protest at the company’s offices objecting to its work for the Israeli government. “[We] need to be more focused in how we work, collaborate, discuss and even disagree,” Mr Pichai wrote in an email to employees. “We have a culture of vibrant, open discussion that enables us to create amazing products and turn great ideas into action. That’s important to preserve. But ultimately we are...