‘Start-Up Nation’ Is Tested as Israel’s Reservists Leave Their Desks
Summary
Such numbers will test the resilience of the technology community that contributes about 20 percent of the country’s economy — and a significant portion of global activity in cutting-edge areas including cybersecurity, artificial intelligence and semiconductors. At HiBob, a human resources software provider in Tel Aviv, about 6 percent of the company’s Israel-based employees, or 25 people, had been mobilized, according to Ronni Zehavi, the founder and chief executive. But after the government declared war on Hamas, Mr. Zehavi said, HiBob began checking on employees’ physical and mental health and reconfiguring its teams to pick up projects from mobilized workers. Noting that he was traveling between two memorial services, he added, “We’re still in the funeral stage.” But others insisted that the community would continue to build the kinds of businesses that have made Israel a haven for entrepreneurs. They pointed to a global outpouring of support, such as a public letter signed by hundreds of prominent investment firms like Bain Capital Ventures and Warburg Pincus.