Netanyahu’s Meeting With Vercel CEO Sparks Backlash and Boycotts Among Developers
New York (QNN)- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s meeting with Vercel CEO Guillermo Rauch has sparked backlash and boycotts among customers, who criticized the company for “normalizing genocide.”
US tech executives and investors in New York met on Sunday with ICC-wanted Netanyahu to discuss the prospects for using artificial intelligence to boost Israel’s economy and military capabilities, according to reports.
Guillermo Rauch is the CEO and founder of Vercel, the company behind Next.js, one of the most popular frameworks in the world. Originally from Argentina, he has built Vercel into a powerhouse for hosting and deploying web apps.
NEW – Netanyahu mission-briefed American influencers today, stating TikTok is the "most important" weapon in securing Israel's right-wing support: "Weapons change over time… the most important ones are the social media," he said. "The most important purchase that is going on… pic.twitter.com/EeszHlcZmN
— Disclose.tv (@disclosetv) September 27, 2025
The Vercel founder shared a photo with Netanyahu. “Enjoyed my discussion with PM Netanyahu on how AI education and literacy will keep our free societies ahead,” Rauch wrote, while expressing hope for “peace, safety, and greatness for Israel and its neighbors.”
What are good alternatives to Vercel because the CEO is doing this 👇 https://t.co/f8C4IROuqs
— @timnitGebru (@dair-community.social/bsky.social) (@timnitGebru) September 29, 2025
Shortly after, developers and customers began leaving Vercel, with growing calls for a boycott and migration off Vercel to alternatives.
Alternatives to Vercel after you boycott them for normalizing genocide:
AWS Amplify
Netlify
Cloudflare Workers
Render/.comOpenNext and SST are also great tools you can look into to for deploying your NextJS or web apps directly on AWShttps://t.co/ZBjoAvvTns
— Yasine (@YasineMedia) September 29, 2025
Here fixed photo for ya pic.twitter.com/wAz4QRnbsx
— Furkan Gözükara (@GozukaraFurkan) September 29, 2025
Selfie with war criminal wanted at the Haag ✅
Loosing hundreds of thousands of customers ✅
More resignation letters that he can handle ✅
Worst Flex in history of tech ✅— Linus ✦ Ekenstam (@LinusEkenstam) September 30, 2025
Genocide, powered by Next.js ™
— robert mine (@imrobertmine) September 29, 2025
One wouldn't take a selfie with a horrible person who commits war crimes and post that selfie, presumably at the most unfortunate time, without an agenda.
So, Guillermo, what is your agenda?
— Fatih Güner —— komunite.com.tr (@fatihguner) September 29, 2025
After sending this picture to the 5 clients whose Vercel accounts and Next.js repos I manage, every single one gave me the green light to cut ties with Vercel immediately.
All 5 clients were on the Pro Plan, and by next week we’ll be
— Said Sadik (@IamSaidSadik) September 30, 2025
In a meeting with US influencers in New York and published in a video on influencer Debra Lea’s account on the US social media company X, Netanyahu also described social media as “the most important weapon … to secure our base in the US.”
He identified TikTok as “the most important purchase going on right now,” saying its control could be “consequential.”
Netanyahu also mentioned X, saying: “We have to talk to Elon (Musk). He’s not an enemy, he’s a friend.”
He said if influence could be secured over TikTok and X, Israel would “get a lot.”
Netanyahu’s remarks and meetings came as Israel stands increasingly isolated over its genocide in Gaza, where nearly 65,600 Palestinians, the vast majority women and children, have been killed since October 2023.
Israel is reportedly using artificial intelligence technology in its genocide in Gaza which has devastated much of the Palestinian enclave. Israel’s killing campaign of Palestinians has relied on artificial intelligence to choose its targets.
