Vercel, a company known for its developer tools and cloud infrastructure, is facing a growing boycott after its founder, Guillermo Rauch, posted a photograph with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday evening.
The image, shared on social media, was captioned with praise for Netanyahu and a discussion about artificial intelligence. Rauch wrote about the importance of AI in building software and expressed optimism for “peace, safety, and greatness for Israel and its neighbours.”
The post quickly drew widespread criticism across the tech community. Many developers and businesses said they would stop using Vercel’s services, citing Israel’s ongoing genocide on Gaza and Netanyahu’s indictment by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for alleged genocide.
Adil Abbuthalha, founder of Boycat, an app designed to help users avoid certain brands, said his company was already migrating away from Vercel. “This is not just about where we host our apps, it is about where our values live,” he said. He pointed to alternatives such as Replit, Hetzner, and Cloudflare.
Other developers also announced they were leaving the platform. One user cancelled attendance at a Vercel event in Munich, while the founder of Pluid, an education and analytics platform, confirmed they were moving their services elsewhere. Tutorials on how to migrate away from Vercel began circulating online.
Amjad Masad, CEO of Replit, offered discounts to companies moving their work off Vercel, while other tech leaders urged developers to consider ethical alternatives. Former Google engineer Houssein Djirdeh expressed disappointment with Rauch’s public support for Netanyahu, saying he had once admired the company and contributed to its projects.
The controversy comes as Israel continues its genocide on Gaza, where rights groups warn that AI-driven targeting systems have accelerated civilian deaths. International criticism of Israel’s military tactics, and of companies seen to be aligning with its government, has grown in recent months.
Vercel has not issued an official statement following the backlash.
