The Southern Bubble Israel today

Like Godzilla,

corporations are imaginary creatures, and both are run by lesser-known and lesser-known people than the brand.

The big difference is that Godzilla lives in the film, while corporations are the producers and directors of the film in which we live.

It's easy to hate corporations.

It is not just the absence of the human face, but the feeling that they are nothing but an evasive mask of responsibility.

A mask that hides a very human monster puts greed above humanity, the current and private gain at the expense of the future losses of us all.

Remember this mask, the next time you are in trouble with a bank or communications company, and in front of you stands some minimum service representative who is cheaper to hire than a robot, and will be unlucky enough to represent a body that has a name but no face.

It's easy to sneer at corporate slaves, and let's face it, even a little jealous - for who would not want the conditions and salaries of corporations, who are so many and good earners than us, and allow us the privilege to complain about them - "first world problems".

This week Intel marked the 50th anniversary of the launch of its first processor. On June 21, 1999, the Intel plant in Kiryat Gat was inaugurated. Decades have passed since the days of Pentium 2, during which time Intel has provided the South with employment in manufacturing the world's most advanced processors. Processors that come to the whole world directly from the industrial city established in a field near Kiryat Gat, not far from Goliath's home.

"Listen, the new Elder Lake processor is something amazing," says Yaniv Keren, a production manager who has worked in the factory since day one and is also a good friend. His eyes sparkle as he talks about the processor that Intel is currently manufacturing in Israel and taking over the world of computing. "Too bad the BDS people can't use it," grins another friend. "Be dead, there's no way they'll not use it, or some other Intel processor," Keren proudly declares Egged Commander (Res.), "Today everywhere you go in the world, where you see a screen, computing, something digital, there There's something inside that comes from here, from this factory, and it fills me with pride, because from here, we bring something to the whole world. '

To this day we have thought of processors in the context of computers. But our lives are also computerized beyond the computer. Processors and chips are everywhere and they are multiplying rapidly. Cars, air conditioners, clocks, refrigerators, vacuum cleaners, light poles, medical devices, it has long been no whims of nerds. Gold today is silicone, and if you need more proof of that, look east. The Chinese giant's name is building muscle and pushing the whole world to the brink of a superpower war to conquer tiny Taiwan, mainly because of a small factory in Taiwan that produces the chips for the whole world.

"The truth is that today all production is done by machine, we only feed and maintain the machine," Keren explains the work process. The "shift people," as we called the first to go to work at Intel, gather on night shuttles from around the city, working shifts that 20 years ago seemed innovative and insane. 'You do two day shifts, 12 hours a shift, 24 hours off, then two night shifts, 12 hours a shift, then four days off, and back to the beginning of the round. It's not for everyone, and there are those for whom it is difficult, but there are also those who are not willing to go back. "It's a bit strange hours, but on average you have half a month off and that's quite a bit," Keren explains the complexity of a factory that does not rest for a moment.

Working conditions have also improved over the years.

In the past, Intel's production workers worked with what appeared to be astronaut suits, "had to get to a point where there was less than one dust particle per cubic meter," explains Keren. How do you do that? 'Every production floor has a floor of filters from below and a floor of filters from above, the air is constantly changing. Over time the production machines have become more sterile, and have a completely micro-environment isolated from the room. You still need to put the 'Intel Hood', a hood on your head and a hair net, and if you have a beard, also a beard for the beard. Everything so that you do not pollute the production process. Except that you have to take a few minutes to get in and out of the suit, it's quite pleasant. '

4000 Intel employees work in Kiryat Gat. Alongside them are several thousand other employees of other companies and contractor companies that supply the needs of the plant. "It's a whole city in there, you have a hairdresser, massages, cafeteria, gym, classes, Pilates, showers, a meat dining room with 7-6 dishes to choose from including vegetarian, and a dairy dining room, plus three free restaurants."

Intel processors are built as layers upon layers. Processors that start their lives in these moments will actually reach customers in half a year to nine months. More than 28 kilometers of magnetic rail network spread across the factory, where the product moves from place to place - which makes the place look completely futuristic and so far from the outside world. What would our lives look like if public transportation in the south was as efficient as this network. This gap may soon be narrowed, as one of the major investments that Intel Global has made in recent years has been to acquire Israeli Mobilai, in order to enter the smart car market, where it competes with Tesla.

"Do not be confused, high-tech is the locomotive

of the Israeli economy, it is what leads the economy in Israel and it is what holds the economy in Israel. Think of the 14,000 Intel employees in Israel receiving company shares, medical insurance, dental insurance, NIS 1,000 each year in a budget for 'fun', and bonuses for good performance. On average it is more than two more salaries a year. In the end, with all the criticism of the taxes that Intel pays, etc., remember that these are 14,000 people, many of them from the south of the country, that Intel has retired and pushed them up throughout the middle and upper class. Not to mention all the service providers around. The industrial area of ​​Kiryat Gat was quite empty or populated by low-rise concrete and clothing industries, today there are chip companies and HP, this is a fundamental change. "

But how did the factory affect the south and the residents of Kiryat Gat? "I grew up with and into Intel," one of the workers, a resident of Kiryat Gat, tells me. , And everything is a bloated balloon with an image of an advanced city.

"Housing here is relatively expensive, education is minus minus, and this is already backed up by CBS data. I know a lot of people who received immigration grants to the south, and after five years left. Intel has made a change, but not deep enough. And it sucks the most that there is no culture of entertainment here at all, perhaps because at the end of the day everyone travels home to the center from the factory. '

The question of why Kiryat Gat did not take advantage of Intel's leap to rise higher than its past as a development city will remain open to future researchers.

Keren talks about special projects that Intel has done for the environment.

There is someone who until the age of 15 lived in a village without water and electricity in Ethiopia, and now she works for Intel, she has joined a project that funds people from the south and the surrounding area with a monthly salary to promote them.

Beyond that, Intel encourages volunteer activities in the community, and not only that, for every hour you volunteer at the organization, this organization receives money from Intel.

"It is important for Intel to implement a better work-life balance. On the other hand, let's not forget that it is a competitive organization, in a very competitive world, and the better you are, the more you will invest in it." 

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