Microsoft's 50th Anniversary Celebration Disrupted by Employee Protests Over AI Use in Israeli Military

Protester interrupts Microsoft Copilot keynote, says company has 'blood on its hands' | TechCrunch

A protester interrupted Microsoft's Copilot-focused keynote Friday afternoon, calling attention to the company's reported dealings with the Israeli military. "Shame on you," the protester said. "You claim that you care about using AI for good, but Microsoft sells AI weapons to the Israeli military [...] All of Microsoft has blood on its hands." Microsoft's Head of Consumer AI Mustafa Sulyman, whose portion of the keynote was interrupted by the protester, several times responded, "I hear your protest, thank you." In February, The Associated Press reported that sophisticated AI models from Microsoft and OpenAI, Microsoft's close collaborator, had been used as part of an Israeli military program to select bombing targets during the recent wars in Gaza and Lebanon. Reportedly, one errant bombing led to the death of several young girls and their grandmother. Several protests have been staged over Microsoft's alleged involvement, including by the company's own employees.

Microsoft employee disrupts 50th anniversary and calls AI boss 'war profiteer'

Sources at Microsoft tell The Verge that shortly after Aboussad was ushered out of Microsoft's event, she sent an email to a number of email distribution lists that contain hundreds or thousands of Microsoft employees. Here is Aboussad's email in full: Hi all, As you might have just seen on the livestream or witnessed in person, I disrupted the speech of Microsoft AI CEO Mustafa Suleyman during the highly-anticipated 50th anniversary celebration. Here's why. My name is Ibtihal, and for the past 3.5 years, I've been a software engineer on Microsoft's AI Platform org. I spoke up today because after learning that my org was powering the genocide of my people in Palestine, I saw no other moral choice. This is especially true when I've witnessed how Microsoft has tried to quell and suppress any dissent from my coworkers who tried to raise this issue. For the past year and a half, our Arab, Palestinian, and Muslim community at Microsoft has been silenced, intimidated, harassed, and doxxed, with impunity from Microsoft. Attempts at speaking up at best fell on deaf ears, and at worst, led to the firing of two employees for simply holding a vigil. There was simply no other way to make our voices heard. We are witnessing a genocide For the past 1.5 years, I've witnessed the ongoing genocide of the Palestinian people by Israel. I've seen unspeakable suffering amidst Israel's mass human rights violations - indiscriminate carpet bombings, the targeting of hospitals and schools, and the continuation of an apartheid state - all of which have been condemned globally by the UN, ICC, and ICJ, and numerous human rights organizations. The images of innocent children covered in ash and blood, the wails of mourning parents, and the destruction of entire families and communities have forever fractured me. At the time of writing, Israel has resumed its full-scale genocide in Gaza, which has so far killed by some estimates over 300,000 Gazans in the past 1.5 year alone. Just days ago, it was revealed that Israel killed fifteen paramedics and rescue workers in Gaza, executing them "one by one," before burying them in the sand -- yet another horrific war crime. All the while, our "responsible" AI work powers this surveillance and murder. The United Nations and the International Court of Justice have concluded that this is a genocide, with the International Criminal Court issuing arrest warrants for Israeli leaders. We are Complicit When I moved to AI Platform, I was excited to contribute to cutting-edge AI technology and its applications for the good of humanity: accessibility products, translation services, and tools to "empower every human and organization to achieve more." I was not informed that Microsoft would sell my work to the Israeli military and government, with the purpose of spying on and murdering journalists, doctors, aid workers, and entire civilian families. If I knew my work on transcription scenarios would help spy on and transcribe phone calls to better target Palestinians (source), I would not have joined this organization and contributed to genocide. I did not sign up to write code that violates human rights. According to AP news, there is "a $133 million contract between Microsoft and Israel's Ministry of Defense." "The Israeli military's usage of Microsoft and OpenAI artificial intelligence spiked last March to nearly 200 times higher than before the week leading up to the Oct. 7 attack. The amount of data it stored on Microsoft servers doubled between that time and July 2024 to more than 13.6 petabytes." "The Israeli military uses Microsoft Azure to compile information gathered through mass surveillance, which it transcribes and translates, including phone calls, texts and audio messages, according to an Israeli intelligence officer who works with the systems. That data can then be cross-checked with Israel's in-house targeting systems." Microsoft AI also powers the most "sensitive and highly classified projects" for the Israeli military, including its "target bank" and the Palestinian population registry. Microsoft cloud and AI enabled the Israeli military to be more lethal and destructive in Gaza than they otherwise could. Microsoft has also been providing software, cloud services, and consulting services to the Israeli military and government, totaling millions in profit. War Criminal Benjamin Netanyahu has explicitly mentioned his strong ties to Microsoft. A list of these contracts with the Israeli military and government can be found here: An Introduction to Microsoft's Complicity in Apartheid and Genocide In fact, Microsoft is so deeply connected to the Israeli military that it was just yesterday designated one of the priority boycott targets of the BDS (Boycott, Divest, Sanctions) campaign. Regardless of your political stances, is this the legacy we want to leave behind? Is working on deadly AI weapons something you can tell your children about? Do we want to be on the wrong side of history? Even though your work could be unrelated to the cloud that the military uses, your work benefits the company and allows it to take on the contract. Regardless of your team, you serve a company that is arming the Israeli occupation. It is undeniable that part of your compensation, no matter how small, is being paid by genocide. Whether you work on AI or not, you will be complicit if you do nothing. It is now OUR job to take a vocal stand against Microsoft AI's involvement in crimes against humanity. This is why I decided to speak up today, and why I signed this important petition to demand Microsoft cut ties with genocide. And I urge you all to do the same. Call to Action Silence is complicity. But action always has a reaction, no matter how big or small. As workers for this company, we must make our voices heard, and demand that Microsoft does the right thing: stop selling technology to the Israeli military. If you are also concerned about this news, and you also want your work to be used ethically, I urge you to take action: Sign the No Azure for Apartheid petition: We will not write code that kills. And join the campaign to add your voice to the growing number of concerned Microsoft employees. Join me in showing our discontent in this thread. If you also feel tricked into deploying weapons which target children and civilians, urge leadership (CC'ed) to drop these contracts. Don't stop speaking up. Urge SLT to drop these contracts at every opportunity. Start conversations with your co-workers about the points above - so many employees may not know! Microsoft's human rights statement prohibits retaliation against anyone who raises a human rights-related concern: Human rights statement | Microsoft CSR Our company has precedents in supporting human rights, including divestment from apartheid South Africa and dropping contracts with AnyVision (Israeli facial recognition startup), after Microsoft employee and community protests. My hope is that our collective voices will motivate our AI leaders to do the same, and correct Microsoft's actions regarding these human rights violations, to avoid a stained legacy. Microsoft Cloud and AI should stop being the bombs and bullets of the 21st century. Sincerely, A concerned Microsoft employee

Microsoft fires employee protestor who called AI boss a 'war profiteer'

Microsoft has fired one of the employees who disrupted the company's 50th-anniversary event. In an email seen by The Verge, Microsoft told Ibtihal Aboussad that their employment has been terminated due to "acts of misconduct." Aboussad was one of two protesters that interrupted Microsoft's 50th anniversary event on Friday by calling Microsoft's AI CEO, Mustafa Suleyman, a "war profiteer" and demanding that Microsoft "stop using AI for genocide in our region." A second protester, Vaniya Agrawal, interrupted Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates, former CEO Steve Ballmer, and Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella later on in the event. Both Microsoft employees also sent separate emails to thousands of coworkers, calling on Microsoft to cut its contracts with the Israeli government. "Earlier today, you interrupted a speech by Microsoft AI CEO Mustafa Suleyman during the Company's 50th anniversary event in Redmond, Seattle, by yelling and finger-pointing at the CEO before a live audience of thousands of attendees, and making hostile, unprovoked, and highly inappropriate accusations against the CEO, the Company and Microsoft generally," the email to Ibtihal Aboussad says. "While the CEO remained calm and attempted to de-escalate the matter, your conduct was so aggressive that you had to be escorted out of the room by security." Aboussad has been fired today by Microsoft Canada, and Agrawal, who resigned as part of her protest, was immediately dismissed after putting in her two weeks' notice, according to an email seen by The Verge. Both protestors are associated with No Azure for Apartheid, a group of Microsoft employees rallying against the company's contracts with Israel. "The company has concluded that your misconduct was designed to gain notoriety and cause maximum disruption to this highly anticipated event," the email to Aboussad reads. "It is also concerning that you have not apologized to the company, and in fact you have shown no remorse for the effect that your actions have had and will have."

Microsoft AI CEO's remarks interrupted by pro-Palestinian protester

April 4 (Reuters) - Microsoft (MSFT.O), opens new tab AI CEO Mustafa Suleyman's remarks were interrupted by a pro-Palestinian protesting employee during the technology company's 50th anniversary celebration on Friday over the firm's ties with Israel. "You are a war profiteer. Stop using AI for genocide," Microsoft employee Ibtihal Aboussad said at the event in Redmond, Washington, while interrupting Suleyman who was talking about the company's artificial intelligence assistant product. Suleyman responded by saying: "I hear your protest, thank you." The protesting employee was then escorted away. An investigation by The Associated Press revealed earlier this year that AI models from Microsoft and OpenAI were used as part of an Israeli military program to select bombing targets during its wars in Gaza and Lebanon. Various other firms and educational institutions have also faced protests over their ties with Israel as the humanitarian crisis in Gaza from Israel's military assault has mounted. The latest bloodshed in the decades-old Israeli-Palestinian conflict was triggered in October 2023, when Palestinian Islamist group Hamas attacked Israel, killing 1,200 and taking about 250 hostages, according to Israeli tallies. Israel's subsequent assault on Hamas-governed Gaza has killed over 50,000 Palestinians, according to Gazan health officials, while also triggering accusations of genocide and war crimes that Israel denies. The assault has internally displaced nearly Gaza's entire 2.3 million population and caused a hunger crisis. The Verge tech news website quoted an email that Aboussad, the protesting employee, sent to other Microsoft employees justifying her protest. Microsoft said it provided many avenues for all voices to be heard in a way that does not cause business interruption. Aboussad was cited by AP to be saying that she and another protesting employee lost access to their work accounts after the protest. Reporting by Kanishka Singh in Washington and Jeffrey Dastin in Redmond; Editing by Stephen Coates Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles., opens new tab Suggested Topics:United States Kanishka Singh Thomson Reuters Kanishka Singh is a breaking news reporter for Reuters in Washington DC, who primarily covers US politics and national affairs in his current role. His past breaking news coverage has spanned across a range of topics like the Black Lives Matter movement; the US elections; the 2021 Capitol riots and their follow up probes; the Brexit deal; US-China trade tensions; the NATO withdrawal from Afghanistan; the COVID-19 pandemic; and a 2019 Supreme Court verdict on a religious dispute site in his native India.

Microsoft birthday celebration interrupted by employees protesting use of AI by Israeli military

Microsoft AI CEO Mustafa Suleyman speaks during an event highlighting Microsoft Copilot, the company's AI tool, on April 4, 2025 in Redmond, Washington. The company also celebrated its 50th Anniversary. At Microsoft's 50th anniversary celebration on Friday, a software engineer in the company's artificial intelligence division interrupted the event with a message: Stop allowing the Israeli military to use Microsoft's AI products. At the time, Microsoft AI CEO Mustafa Suleyman was delivering a speech. "Mustafa, shame on you," the employee, Ibtihal Aboussad, said as she walked towards the stage at the event in Redmond, Washington. "You claim that you care for using AI for good, but Microsoft sells AI weapons to the Israeli military. Fifty thousand people have died, and Microsoft powers this genocide in our region." Suleyman responded, acknowledging the protester. Aboussad continued, "Shame on you. You are a war profiteer. Stop using AI for genocide, Mustafa. Stop using AI for genocide in our region. You have blood on your hands. All of Microsoft has blood on its hands." The employee, who works on Microsoft AI's speech recognition engine team, was swiftly escorted out. Shortly after the interruption, Aboussad sent an email, which was viewed by CNBC, to Suleyman and other Microsoft executives, including CEO Satya Nadella, finance chief Amy Hood, operating chief Carolina Dybeck Happe and Brad Smith, the company's president. "I spoke up today because after learning that my org was powering the genocide of my people in Palestine, I saw no other moral choice," Aboussad wrote in the email. "This is especially true when I've witnessed how Microsoft has tried to quell and suppress any dissent from my coworkers who tried to raise this issue. For the past year and a half, our Arab, Palestinian, and Muslim community at Microsoft has been silenced, intimidated, harassed, and doxxed, with impunity from Microsoft. Attempts at speaking up at best fell on deaf ears, and at worst, led to the firing of two employees for simply holding a vigil." Microsoft didn't immediately respond to a request for comment. AI companies in recent months have been walking back bans on military use of their products and entering into deals with defense industry giants and the Defense Department. In November, Anthropic and defense contractor Palantir announced a partnership with Amazon Web Services to provide U.S. intelligence and defense agencies access to Anthropic's Claude AI models. Palantir recently signed a new five-year deal worth up to $100 million to expand U.S. military access to its Maven AI warfare program. OpenAI and Anduril announced a partnership allowing the defense tech company to deploy advanced AI systems for "national security missions." And last month, Scale AI forged a deal with the Department of Defense for a multimillion-dollar flagship AI agent program. Aboussad wrote in the email that after she started working on Microsoft's AI platforms, she was excited to contribute to "cutting-edge AI technology and its applications for the good of humanity." But, she wrote, "I was not informed that Microsoft would sell my work to the Israeli military and government." "I did not sign up to write code that violates human rights," Aboussad wrote, adding a link to a "No Azure for Apartheid" petition. At a separate Microsoft event with executives on the same day, another software engineer, Vaniya Agrawal, interrupted a speech from Nadella with a similar protest. Agrawal then wrote in an email to executives that she would resign from the company. "You may have seen me stand up earlier today to call out Satya during his speech at the Microsoft 50th anniversary," she wrote in the email, which was viewed by CNBC. "Over the past 1.5 years, I've grown more aware of Microsoft's growing role in the military-industrial complex." Agrawal said Microsoft is "complicit" as a "digital weapons manufacturer that powers surveillance, apartheid, and genocide." She added that, "by working for this company, we are all complicit." "Even if we don't work directly in AI or Azure, our labor is tacit support, and our corporate climb only fuels the system," Agrawal wrote. She included a call to action to sign the same petition.

Pro-Palestinian protester interrupts Microsoft's 50th anniversary party over Israel contract

REDMOND, Wash. (AP) -- A pro-Palestinian protester interrupted the keynote event of Microsoft's 50th anniversary celebration Friday, the latest backlash over the tech industry's work to supply artificial intelligence technology to the Israeli military. The protest happened as Microsoft AI CEO Mustafa Suleyman was presenting product updates and a long-term vision for the company's AI assistant product, Copilot, to an audience that included Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates and former CEO Steve Ballmer. "Mustafa, shame on you," shouted a woman in the audience. "You claim that you care about using AI for good but Microsoft sells AI weapons to the Israeli military." She said 50,000 people have died and described it as a genocide. "Thank you for your protest, I hear you," Suleyman said. The protester continued, shouting that he and "all of Microsoft" had blood on their hands. An investigation by The Associated Press revealed earlier this year that AI models from Microsoft and OpenAI had been used as part of an Israeli military program to select bombing targets during the recent wars in Gaza and Lebanon. The story also contained details of an errant Israeli airstrike in 2023 that struck a vehicle carrying members of a Lebanese family, killing three young girls and their grandmother. In February, five Microsoft employees were ejected from a meeting with CEO Satya Nadella for protesting the contracts. While the February event was an internal meeting, Friday's protest was far more public -- a livestreamed showcase of the company's past and future. "We provide many avenues for all voices to be heard," said a statement from the company Friday. "Importantly, we ask that this be done in a way that does not cause a business disruption. If that happens, we ask participants to relocate. We are committed to ensuring our business practices uphold the highest standards." Microsoft declined to say whether it would take further action.

Microsoft workers say they've been fired after 50th anniversary protest over Israel contract

Microsoft has fired two employees who interrupted the company's 50th anniversary celebration to protest its work supplying artificial intelligence technology to the Israeli military, according to a group representing the workers. Microsoft didn't immediately respond to a request for comment Monday. The protests began Friday when Microsoft software engineer Ibtihal Aboussad walked up to a stage where an executive was announcing new product features and a long-term vision for Microsoft's AI ambitions. "You claim that you care about using AI for good but Microsoft sells AI weapons to the Israeli military," Aboussad shouted at Microsoft AI CEO Mustafa Suleyman. "Fifty-thousand people have died and Microsoft powers this genocide in our region." The protest forced Suleyman to pause his talk, which was livestreamed from Microsoft's campus in Redmond, Washington. Among the participants at the 50th anniversary of Microsoft's founding were co-founder Bill Gates and former CEO Steve Ballmer. "Thank you for your protest, I hear you," Suleyman said. Aboussad continued, shouting that Suleyman and "all of Microsoft" had blood on their hands. She also threw onto the stage a keffiyeh scarf, which has become a symbol of support for Palestinian people, before being escorted out of the event. A second protester, Microsoft employee Vaniya Agrawal, interrupted a later part of the event. Aboussad was invited on Monday to a video call with a human resources representative at which she was told she was being terminated immediately. Agrawal was notified over email, according to the advocacy group No Azure for Apartheid, which has protested the sale of Microsoft's Azure cloud computing platform to Israel. An investigation by The Associated Press revealed earlier this year that AI models from Microsoft and OpenAI had been used as part of an Israeli military program to select bombing targets during the recent wars in Gaza and Lebanon. The story also contained details of an errant Israeli airstrike in 2023 that struck a vehicle carrying members of a Lebanese family, killing three young girls and their grandmother. In February, five Microsoft employees were ejected from a meeting with CEO Satya Nadella for protesting the contracts. "We provide many avenues for all voices to be heard," said a statement from the company Friday. "Importantly, we ask that this be done in a way that does not cause a business disruption. If that happens, we ask participants to relocate. We are committed to ensuring our business practices uphold the highest standards." Microsoft had declined to say Friday whether it was taking further action. Aboussad told the AP she lost access to her work accounts shortly after the protest and had not been able to log back in. Dozens of Google workers were fired last year after internal protests surrounding a contract that the technology company has with the Israeli government. Employee sit-ins at Google offices in New York and Sunnyvale, California were targeting a $1.2 billion deal known as Project Nimbus providing AI technology to the Israeli government. The Google workers later filed a complaint with the National Labor Relations Board in an attempt to get their jobs back.

Microsoft fires engineers who protested during company's 50th anniversary celebration

Tariff rates Trump ascribes to other countries are vastly higher than World Trade data shows Microsoft did not immediately provide a comment. At the company's official 50th anniversary celebration on Friday, Aboussad interrupted Microsoft AI CEO Mustafa Suleyman's speech. "Mustafa, shame on you," Aboussad said as she walked towards the stage at the event in Redmond, Washington. "You claim that you care for using AI for good, but Microsoft sells AI weapons to the Israeli military. Fifty thousand people have died, and Microsoft powers this genocide in our region." Aboussad also called Suleyman a "war profiteer." "You have blood on your hands," she said before being swiftly escorted out. "All of Microsoft has blood on its hands." Shortly after the interruption, Aboussad sent an email, which was viewed by CNBC, to Suleyman and other Microsoft executives, including CEO Satya Nadella, finance chief Amy Hood, operating chief Carolina Dybeck Happe and Brad Smith, the company's president. "I spoke up today because after learning that my org was powering the genocide of my people in Palestine, I saw no other moral choice," Aboussad wrote in the email. "This is especially true when I've witnessed how Microsoft has tried to quell and suppress any dissent from my coworkers who tried to raise this issue. For the past year and a half, our Arab, Palestinian, and Muslim community at Microsoft has been silenced, intimidated, harassed, and doxxed, with impunity from Microsoft. Attempts at speaking up at best fell on deaf ears, and at worst, led to the firing of two employees for simply holding a vigil." Aboussad continued in the email, "I did not sign up to write code that violates human rights," adding a link to a "No Azure for Apartheid" petition. At a separate Microsoft event with executives on Friday, Agrawal interrupted a speech from Nadella with a similar protest and sent an email to executives afterward. "You may have seen me stand up earlier today to call out Satya during his speech at the Microsoft 50th anniversary," Agrawal wrote in the email, which was viewed by CNBC, on Friday. "Over the past 1.5 years, I've grown more aware of Microsoft's growing role in the military-industrial complex." Agrawal wrote that Microsoft is "complicit" as a "digital weapons manufacturer that powers surveillance, apartheid, and genocide," adding that "by working for this company, we are all complicit." "Even if we don't work directly in AI or Azure, our labor is tacit support, and our corporate climb only fuels the system," Agrawal wrote. She included a call to action to sign the same petition. A Microsoft spokesperson said Friday that the company is committed to adhering to the highest standards of business practices. "We provide many avenues for all voices to be heard. Importantly, we ask that this be done in a way that does not cause a business disruption. If that happens, we ask participants to relocate," the spokesperson said. AI companies in recent months have been walking back bans on military use of their products and entering into deals with defense industry giants and the Defense Department. In November, Anthropic and defense contractor Palantir announced a partnership with Amazon Web Services to provide U.S. intelligence and defense agencies access to Anthropic's Claude AI models. Palantir recently signed a new five-year deal worth up to $100 million to expand U.S. military access to its Maven AI warfare program. OpenAI and Anduril announced a partnership allowing the defense tech company to deploy advanced AI systems for "national security missions." And last month, Scale AI forged a deal with the Department of Defense for a multimillion-dollar flagship AI agent program.

Employee calls Microsoft AI boss a "war profiteer" during 50th-anniversary speech

Serving tech enthusiasts for over 25 years. TechSpot means tech analysis and advice you can trust. A Microsoft employee interrupted the company's 50th-anniversary celebration to protest its artificial intelligence initiatives, accusing the company of complicity in war crimes. The disruption occurred during an address by Microsoft AI CEO Mustafa Suleyman when software engineer Ibtihal Aboussad stood up and directly confronted him. "Shame on you," Aboussad declared. "You are a war profiteer. Stop using AI for genocide in our region, Mustafa. You have blood on your hands." Suleyman maintained his composure, repeatedly saying, "Thank you. I hear your protest. Thank you." Aboussad continued her rant even as security escorted her from the venue. However, being ejected from the event did not end her rally. Sources within Microsoft told The Verge that she later sent a company-wide email to hundreds, possibly thousands, of employees, explaining her actions and condemning the company's involvement in Israel's military operations. In her email, Aboussad, a Microsoft engineer for over three years, said she could not stay silent after learning her work contributed to what she called the "genocide" of Palestinians. She accused Microsoft of suppressing internal dissent and fostering a hostile environment for Arab, Palestinian, and Muslim employees. "For the past year and a half, our Arab, Palestinian, and Muslim community at Microsoft has been silenced, intimidated, harassed, and doxxed, with impunity," she wrote. "Speaking up at best fell on deaf ears, and at worst, led to the firing of two employees for simply holding a vigil." Aboussad cited reporting by the Associated Press regarding a $133 million contract with Israel's Ministry of Defense, which she said enables mass data collection and intelligence gathering. According to the report, Israeli military use of Microsoft AI services spiked in early 2024, with stored data doubling within months. She claims that Israel uses this data for mass surveillance, transcription of intercepted messages, and aiding in military strikes. Aboussad contends that Microsoft's AI technology makes attacks more lethal and destructive. Aboussad urged coworkers to sign the "No Azure for Apartheid" petition demanding leadership sever ties with the Israeli military. She referenced Microsoft's past decision to drop contracts with AnyVision, an Israeli facial recognition company, after employee and community protests. Her demonstration comes amid broader unrest within the tech sector. Microsoft, Google, and Amazon have all faced employee backlash over military and government contracts, especially surrounding Project Nimbus, which provides cloud services to the Israeli government. Microsoft has not commented publicly on the protest. It has previously stated it adheres to ethical guidelines in its AI work. Whether this incident will lead to internal policy changes remains uncertain.

Microsoft Employee Disrupts 50th Anniversary Over Israel AI Contracts

The tech giant has faced pushback over its sale of AI products to the Israeli military. Microsoft celebrated the company's 50th anniversary on Friday with a splashy event that featured all three of its current and former CEOs, but it did not come without surprises. The Verge reported earlier that an employee by the name Ibtihal Aboussad disrupted a presentation by the company's head of AI, Mustafa Suleyman, alleging the company has been complicit in genocide by selling its technology to Israel. “Shame on you,†said Aboussad, speaking directly to Suleyman. “You are a war profiteer. Stop using AI for genocide. Stop using AI for genocide in our region. You have blood on your hands. All of Microsoft has blood on its hands. How dare you all celebrate when Microsoft is killing children. Shame on you all.†Aboussad's LinkedIn profile indicates she is a software engineer on the AI Platform team. After being ushered out of the event, she reportedly sent a memo to a number of internal distribution lists. In a statement from a Microsoft spokesperson, the company said, "We provide many avenues for all voices to be heard. Importantly, we ask that this be done in a way that does not cause a business disruption. If that happens, we ask participants to relocate. We are committed to ensuring our business practices uphold the highest standards.†Aboussad's memo cites the number of deaths in Gaza amid the ongoing war with Israel, and goes on to note that Microsoft has a $133 million contract with the country's Ministry of Defense: The Israeli military’s usage of Microsoft and OpenAI artificial intelligence spiked last March to nearly 200 times higher than before the week leading up to the Oct. 7 attack. The amount of data it stored on Microsoft servers doubled between that time and July 2024 to more than 13.6 petabytes. Microsoft AI also powers the most “sensitive and highly classified projects†for the Israeli military, including its “target bank†and the Palestinian population registry. Microsoft cloud and AI enabled the Israeli military to be more lethal and destructive in Gaza than they otherwise could. The tech industry has long had a complicated relationship with the defense sector. Employees of major tech companies, who skew liberal in their views, were long opposed to having their work used on the battlefield. And the leaders of these companies were sensitive to those concerns, despite the lucrative revenue opportunity defense contracts offered. Things have changed in recent years, however, especially following the beginning of the war in Ukraine and rising tensions around the South China Sea. Companies including Palantir and Anduril have become rising stars at the same time as the likes of Google and Meta laid off thousands and shifted the power away from employees and back to leadership, making it harder for employees to oppose such contracts. Aboussad in her memo writes about this opposition that employees in tech have long felt: "When I moved to AI Platform, I was excited to contribute to cutting-edge AI technology and its applications for the good of humanity: accessibility products, translation services, and tools to empower every human and organization to achieve more. I was not informed that Microsoft would sell my work to the Israeli military and government, with the purpose of spying on and murdering journalists, doctors, aid workers, and entire civilian families." One of the big concerns raised about using AI on the battlefield is the proclivity of operators to trust the programs and defer to them for attack plans. It has previously been reported that Israeli soldiers have relied on AI to quickly identify targets without always reviewing their accuracy. And recent messages revealed in the Signalgate scandal demonstrate how military heads will strike indiscriminately and produce collateral damage with impunityâ€"the Trump administration authorized striking a civilian residential building because a target's girlfriend lived there, a clear violation of humanitarian law. Big tech companies have been looking for applications of AI, and found it in the military. But even Palmer Luckey, the CEO of Anduril, which makes defense drones and other technology, has expressed sympathy for employees in big tech who signed up to make consumer apps only to find their work used in defense applications. At least those who join Anduril know what they are signing up for. Microsoft has already experienced other protests over its contracts with the Israeli military. In February, five employees were removed from a town hall event after they stood in a line wearing shirts that spelled out CEO Satya Nadella's name and asked the question: "Does our code kill kids?"

Report: Microsoft fires two employees who protested inside 50th anniversary event

Microsoft terminated the employment of two software engineers who disrupted the Friday event in Redmond where the company launched new Copilot features and marked its 50th anniversary, according to a CNBC report. Both employees stood up separately to condemn the use of Microsoft's AI technology by the Israeli military. One called Microsoft AI CEO Mustafa Suleyman a "war profiteer" and said he had blood on his hands. Another stood up to protest while Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella was on stage with his predecessors, Steve Ballmer and Bill Gates. The internal protests coincided with a demonstration outside the event by the group No Azure for Apartheid, which is made up of Microsoft employees and other tech workers. The group identified the now-former employees as Ibtihal Aboussad and Vaniya Agrawal. In a companywide message, posted on Medium, Aboussad wrote, in part: My name is Ibtihal, and for the past 3.5 years, I've been a software engineer on Microsoft's AI Platform org. I spoke up today because after learning that my org was powering the genocide of my people in Palestine, I saw no other moral choice. This is especially true when I've witnessed how Microsoft has tried to quell and suppress any dissent from my coworkers who tried to raise this issue. For the past year and a half, our Arab, Palestinian, and Muslim community at Microsoft has been silenced, intimidated, harassed, and doxxed, with impunity from Microsoft. Attempts at speaking up at best fell on deaf ears, and at worst, led to the firing of two employees for simply holding a vigil. There was simply no other way to make our voices heard. According to CNBC, Microsoft told Aboussad in a message that she could have addressed concerns privately through management or Global Employee Relations instead of disrupting Suleyman's speech. The company told Aboussad it "has concluded that your misconduct was designed to gain notoriety and cause maximum disruption to this highly anticipated event," according to the report. Technically, Agrawal resigned from the company, effective April 11, but the company made the resignation effective immediately, according to the CNBC report. [Update: A Microsoft spokesperson confirmed that one employee resigned and another employee was let go. The company offered no further comment.] The protests at Microsoft's internal event mirrored similar actions by members of the group at GeekWire's independent Microsoft@50 event in Seattle in March. Two other organizers, Abdo Mohamed and Hossam Nasr, said they were fired by Microsoft last fall for pro-Palestinian actions on the company's Redmond campus.

Microsoft's 50th anniversary Copilot event interrupted by protestor

"I hear your protest" said Microsoft Copilot CEO Mustafa Suleyman Microsoft hosted a special live event at its headquarters today (April 4) to mark its 50th anniversary and promote the new features coming to its Copilot AI assistant. But less than 30 minutes in, something unexpected happened. Tom's Guide was there in person to witness a protestor interrupt Microsoft Copilot CEO Mustafa Suleyman in the middle of his presentation. The woman began decrying Microsoft's business of selling AI tools and technologies to Israel specifically for use in combat. "Shame on you all!" She shouted. "You have blood on your hands!" The woman went on for several minutes, and Suleyman politely stood there repeatedly saying "I hear your protest." "50,000 people have died, and Microsoft powers this genocide in our region," she continued. "You are a war profiteer!" The Associated Press published the results of an investigation into Microsoft and OpenAI's business dealings with Israel earlier this year. The AP reported that the Israeli military significantly increased its use of AI systems (including Microsoft software and use of Microsoft's Azure servers) to hunt down militants in the wake of the Hamas terrorist attack in October 2023, and that civilian deaths in the region have gone up significantly since then. "This is the first confirmation we have gotten that commercial AI models are directly being used in warfare," AI Now Institute chief AI scientist (and former OpenAI senior safety engineer) Heidy Khlaaf told the AP early this year. "The implications are enormous for the role of tech in enabling this type of unethical and unlawful warfare going forward." In the wake of that revelation five Microsoft employees were ejected from a company meeting in which they were protesting the revelations revealed by the AP's investigation. The protestor who interrupted Suleyman's presentation today was allowed to speak for several minutes before being escorted from the venue.

Microsoft's 50th anniversary took a sudden turn during the AI presentation

Microsoft's 50th birthday celebrationon Friday had some talk about the past, but focused more on the future. In particular, the company's future in AI with Copilot. There was even a return of the once-hated but now beloved mascot Clippy during the show. The mood of the show, however, took a turn early in the presentation by Mustafa Suleyman, Executive Vice President and CEO of Microsoft AI. One Microsoft employee approached Suleyman and the stage to protest the company's AI being used by the Israeli government. "Shame on you," Microsoft employee Ibtihal Aboussad told Soleyman as the crowd went silent. "You are a war profiteer. Stop using AI for genocide. Stop using AI for genocide in our region. You have blood on your hands. All of Microsoft has blood on its hands. How dare you all celebrate when Microsoft is killing children. Shame on you all." Aboussad was escorted from the room shortly after her protest. "Thank you," Suleyman said when Aboussad was led out of the room. "I hear your protest, thank you." He then went on to complete his presentation. A video of the presentation was uploaded to the Microsoft Copilot YouTube channel, but the protest was edited out at approximately 14:45. Shortly after her protest, Aboussad sent an email to other company employees explaining her actions, according to The Verge. "As you might have just seen on the livestream or witnessed in person, I disrupted the speech of Microsoft AI CEO Mustafa Suleyman during the highly-anticipated 50th anniversary celebration," she wrote in her email. "I've been a software engineer on Microsoft's AI Platform org. I spoke up today because after learning that my org was powering the genocide of my people in Palestine, I saw no other moral choice." The email went on to point out that Microsoft has a $133 million contract with Israel's Ministry of Defense and claims that Microsoft Azure is used by the country for mass surveillance. Aboussad's email went on to say she hopes the voices from other employees will lead to a change that will "correct Microsoft's actions regarding these human rights violations, to avoid a stained legacy." Another protest happened during a different part of the birthday celebration when current Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella was joined by former CEOs, Bill Gates and Steve Ballmer. Microsoft employee Vaniya Agrawal interrupted the conversation the CEOs were having, saying, "You're all hypocrites." "I'm a Microsoft worker," Agrawal began saying before she was quickly escorted out of the room, while there was a smattering of boos from the crowd. "50,000 Palestinians in Gaza have been murdered with Microsoft technology. How dare you! Shame on all of you for celebrating on their blood!" Microsoft didn't immediately respond to a request for comment about the protests. The company told AP News on Friday that it does provide avenues for "all voices to be heard." "Importantly, we ask that this be done in a way that does not cause a business disruption," Microsoft told the AP via a statement. "If that happens, we ask participants to relocate. We are committed to ensuring our business practices uphold the highest standards." Microsoft didn't say what action was being taken against the employees, but confirmed that the two have lost access to their work accounts.

Two Microsoft employees fired after protesting company's AI contracts with Israeli military

Two Microsoft employees have been fired after publicly protesting the company's contracts with the Israeli military. The employees disrupted the technology giant's 50th-anniversary celebration, shouting over Microsoft AI CEO Mustafa Suleyman speech. "You claim that you care about using AI for good but Microsoft sells AI weapons to the Israeli military," software engineer Ibtihal Aboussad said. "Fifty-thousand people have died and Microsoft powers this genocide in our region." No Azure for Apartheid, a group opposed to the sale of Microsoft's Azure cloud computing software to Israel, said both Aboussad and Vaniya Agrawal were fired over their protests. Agrawal interrupted the event after Aboussad. The two women already planned to leave the company before their disruptions, according to No Azure for Apartheid. In an email to Microsoft employees, Agrawal wrote that "it is undeniable that Microsoft's Azure cloud offerings and AI developments form the technology backbone of Israel's automatic apartheid and genocide systems." In a termination letter to Aboussad, Microsoft accused her of making "hostile, unprovoked, and highly inappropriate accusations" and said she was being fired in part because her "conduct was so aggressive and disruptive that you had to be escorted out of the room by security," according to the Associated Press. The AP revealed earlier this year that "select bombing targets during the recent wars in Gaza and Lebanon" have been determined using AI models from Microsoft and OpenAI. Microsoft told the AP it has "many avenues for all voices to be heard," but said "importantly, we ask that this be done in a way that does not cause a business disruption." "If that happens, we ask participants to relocate. We are committed to ensuring our business practices uphold the highest standards," the company added.

Microsoft allegedly fires workers who protested Israel AI contract

"You claim that you care about using AI for good but Microsoft sells AI weapons to the Israeli military," shouted one employee who was fired. Microsoft has fired two employees who interrupted the company's 50th anniversary celebration to protest its work supplying artificial intelligence (AI) technology to the Israeli military, according to a group representing the workers. Microsoft accused one of the workers in a termination letter on Monday of misconduct "designed to gain notoriety and cause maximum disruption to this highly anticipated event". Microsoft said the other worker had already announced her resignation, but on Monday it ordered her to leave five days early. The protests began Friday when Microsoft software engineer Ibtihal Aboussad walked up toward a stage where an executive announced new product features and a long-term vision for Microsoft's AI ambitions. "You claim that you care about using AI for good but Microsoft sells AI weapons to the Israeli military," Aboussad shouted at Microsoft AI CEO Mustafa Suleyman. "Fifty-thousand people have died and Microsoft powers this genocide in our region". The protest forced Suleyman to pause his talk while it was being live-streamed from Microsoft's campus in Redmond, Washington. Among the participants at the 50th anniversary of Microsoft's founding were co-founder Bill Gates and former CEO Steve Ballmer. Microsoft said Suleyman calmly tried to de-escalate the situation. "Thank you for your protest, I hear you," he said. Aboussad continued, shouting that Suleyman and "all of Microsoft" had blood on their hands. She also threw onto the stage a keffiyeh scarf, which has become a symbol of support for Palestinian people, before being escorted out of the event. A second protester, Microsoft employee Vaniya Agrawal, interrupted a later part of the event. Aboussad, based at Microsoft's Canadian headquarters in Toronto, was invited on Monday to a call with a human resources representative at which she was told she was being fired immediately, according to the advocacy group No Azure for Apartheid, which has protested the sale of Microsoft's Azure cloud computing platform to Israel. An investigation by The Associated Press revealed earlier this year that AI models from Microsoft and OpenAI had been used as part of an Israeli military programme to select bombing targets during the recent wars in Gaza and Lebanon. The story also contained details of an errant Israeli airstrike in 2023 that struck a vehicle carrying members of a Lebanese family, killing three young girls and their grandmother. In its termination letter, Microsoft told Aboussad she could have raised her concerns confidentially to a manager. Instead, it said she made "hostile, unprovoked, and highly inappropriate accusations" against Suleyman and the company and that her "conduct was so aggressive and disruptive that you had to be escorted out of the room by security". Agrawal had already given her two weeks notice and was preparing to leave the company on April 11, but on Monday, a manager emailed that Microsoft "has decided to make your resignation immediately effective today". It was the most public but not the first protest over Microsoft's work with Israel. In February, five Microsoft employees were ejected from a meeting with CEO Satya Nadella for protesting the contracts. "We provide many avenues for all voices to be heard," said a statement from the company on Friday. "Importantly, we ask that this be done in a way that does not cause a business disruption. If that happens, we ask participants to relocate. We are committed to ensuring our business practices uphold the highest standards". Microsoft declined to say on Friday whether it was taking further action, but Aboussad and Agrawal expected it was coming after both lost access to their work accounts shortly after the protest. Dozens of Google workers were fired last year after internal protests over a contract it also has with the Israeli government. Employee sit-ins at Google offices in New York and Sunnyvale, California, targeted a $1.2 billion (€1.1 billion) deal known as Project Nimbus, providing AI technology to the Israeli government. The Google workers later filed a complaint with the National Labor Relations Board in an attempt to get their jobs back.

Microsoft employee escorted out of 50th anniversary event after protesting sales to Israel: 'You have blood on your hands. All of Microsoft has blood on its hands'

Ibtihal Aboussad interrupted AI CEO Mustafa Suleyman's address to criticize the company's work with the Israeli military in Gaza. A Microsoft employee interrupted an address being given by AI CEO Mustafa Suleyman as part of the company's 50 anniversary event, demanding the company "stop using AI for genocide." The disruption was first reported by The Verge, which also shared video of the incident. It can also be heard in The Verge's full coverage of Microsoft's Copilot presentation, although Ibtihal Aboussad, reportedly the employee who interrupted Suleyman, is out of view. "You are a war profiteer," Aboussad says as she's escorted out of the room. "Shame on you. You are a war profiteer. Stop using AI for genocide, Mustafa. Stop using AI for genocide in our region. You have blood on your hands. All of Microsoft has blood on its hands." A February 2025 report by AP said the Israeli military's use of Microsoft and OpenAI technology "skyrocketed" following the Hamas attacks of October 2024, to nearly 200 times higher than what it was the week before the attack. It also notes that Israel's Ministry of Defense is Microsoft's second-largest military customer, behind only the US military. The Verge shared a copy of an email Aboussad sent to Microsoft employees via numerous internal mailing lists saying that it was that relationship that prompted her to take action. "My name is Ibtihal, and for the past 3.5 years, I've been a software engineer on Microsoft's AI Platform org," Aboussad wrote. "I spoke up today because after learning that my org was powering the genocide of my people in Palestine, I saw no other moral choice. This is especially true when I've witnessed how Microsoft has tried to quell and suppress any dissent from my coworkers who tried to raise this issue. "For the past year and a half, our Arab, Palestinian, and Muslim community at Microsoft has been silenced, intimidated, harassed, and doxxed, with impunity from Microsoft. Attempts at speaking up at best fell on deaf ears, and at worst, led to the firing of two employees for simply holding a vigil. There was simply no other way to make our voices heard." Later in her email, Aboussad said she was initially excited to move to Microsoft's AI platform for the potential good it offered in areas like "accessibility products, translation services, and tools to 'empower every human and organization to achieve more'." "I was not informed that Microsoft would sell my work to the Israeli military and government, with the purpose of spying on and murdering journalists, doctors, aid workers, and entire civilian families," Aboussad wrote. "If I knew my work on transcription scenarios would help spy on and transcribe phone calls to better target Palestinians, I would not have joined this organization and contributed to genocide. I did not sign up to write code that violates human rights." Microsoft's military entanglements have been met with pushback in the past: In 2019, for instance, a group of Microsoft employees protested the company's $479 million contract to develop HoloLens technology for the US Army; shareholders expressed similar concerns in 2022. But concerns about Israel's ongoing attacks in Gaza are not hypothetical: More than 50,000 Palestinians are estimated to have been killed since October 2023, although that's merely an estimate -- researchers say the actual number could be much higher. Aboussad's email urged employees to speak out by signing a "No Azure for Apartheid" petition, urging company leadership to end contracts with the Israeli military, and ensuring others at the company are aware of how their work could be used. "Our company has precedents in supporting human rights, including divestment from apartheid South Africa and dropping contracts with AnyVision (Israeli facial recognition startup), after Microsoft employee and community protests," Aboussad wrote. "My hope is that our collective voices will motivate our AI leaders to do the same, and correct Microsoft's actions regarding these human rights violations, to avoid a stained legacy. Microsoft Cloud and AI should stop being the bombs and bullets of the 21st century." Not long after Abbousad's protest, a second employee staged a similar disruption during a separate talk being held by current and former Microsoft CEOs Satya Nadella, Steve Ballmer, and Bill Gates. "Shame on you all. You're all hypocrites," Vaniya Agrawal said. "50,000 Palestinians in Gaza have been murdered with Microsoft technology. How dare you. Shame on all of you for celebrating their blood. Cut ties with Israel." Some in the audience booed, while Nadella, Ballmer, and Gates sat in awkward silence while Agrawal was escorted out of the room. Agrawal also sent an email to company executives, viewed by CNBC, in which she said she's "grown more aware of Microsoft's growing role in the military-industrial complex," and that Microsoft is "complicit" as a "digital weapons manufacturer that powers surveillance, apartheid, and genocide." "Even if we don't work directly in AI or Azure, our labor is tacit support, and our corporate climb only fuels the system," Agrawal wrote. Like Abbousad, she also called on employees to sign the No Apartheid for Azure petition. It seems likely that this protest will cost Aboussad and Agrawal their jobs: In 2024, Microsoft fired two employees who organized a vigil at the company's headquarters for Palestinians killed in Gaza. I've reached out to Microsoft for comment and will update if I receive a reply.

Pro-Palestinian protester interrupts Microsoft AI CEO during live event

Microsoft AI CEO Mustafa Suleyman speaks at the company's headquarters Friday in Redmond, Wash.Stephen Brashear / Getty Images A pro-Palestinian protester interrupted a live presentation by Microsoft AI CEO Mustafa Suleyman, on Friday, accusing the tech company of selling AI technology to Israeli military forces. In a video of the presentation, the protester can be heard shouting, "You claim that you care about using AI for good, but Microsoft sells AI weapons to the Israeli military. 50,000 people have died... all of Microsoft, has blood on its hands. How do you all celebrate when Microsoft is killing children? Shame on you all." Suleyman responded to the protester in the video saying, "Thank you, I hear your protest." The protester responded to Suleyman, saying, "You do not hear us." A Microsoft spokesperson confirmed in a statement to NBC News that the protester was removed after the incident. "We provide many avenues for all voices to be heard," the spokesperson wrote. "Importantly, we ask that this be done in a way that does not cause a business disruption. If that happens, we ask participants to relocate. We are committed to ensuring our business practices uphold the highest standards." The interruption came in the middle of Microsoft's 50th Anniversary Copilot Event at its headquarters in Redmond, Washington. During the presentation, Suleyman was introducing new capabilities of the company's AI service, Copilot. A video livestreaming the event on YouTube was made private after videos of the protester began circulating online. The pro-Palestinian Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions Movement has condemned Microsoft in the past, accusing the tech company of providing "Israel with technology, including artificial intelligence, that is deployed to facilitate grave human rights violations, war crimes, crimes against humanity (including apartheid), as well as genocide." Israel, which was established in the wake of the Nazi Holocaust and is home to many survivors and their families, has vigorously denied allegations of genocide. In February, The Associated Press reported that Israel's military increasingly used Microsoft's technologies after the attack on Israel by Hamas militants on Oct. 7, 2023, using Microsoft's Azure to compile surveillance information, citing Microsoft documents and Israeli officials. Microsoft has previously declined to comment on allegations that the company has provided Israel with AI technology in the past and did not answer questions from NBC News about the claims. Israel Defense Forces did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Microsoft terminates jobs of engineers who protested use of AI products by Israel's military

A Microsoft building in Issy-les-Moulineaux, outside Paris.Michel Euler / AP file Microsoft terminated the employment of two software engineers who protested at company events on Friday over the Israeli military's use of the company's artificial intelligence products, according to documents viewed by CNBC. Ibtihal Aboussad, a software engineer in the company's AI division who is based in Canada, was fired on Monday over "just cause, wilful misconduct, disobedience or wilful neglect of duty," according to one of the documents. Another Microsoft software engineer, Vaniya Agrawal, had said she would resign from the company on Friday, April 11. But Microsoft terminated her role on Monday, according to an internal message viewed by CNBC. The company wrote that it "has decided to make your resignation immediately effective today." Both employees chose Microsoft's 50th anniversary event to publicly voice their criticism. What Microsoft had hoped would be a celebratory period has turned into a brutal few days for the company, which is being hit, along with the rest of the market, by President Donald Trump's widespread tariffs. It's a topic that CEO Satya Nadella and his two predecessors, Bill Gates and Steve Ballmer, were forced to uncomfortably confront on Friday in an interview with CNBC's Andrew Ross Sorkin. "As a Microsoft shareholder, this kind of thing is not good," Ballmer said, about the tariffs. Meanwhile, the celebration itself captured headlines more for the protesters' shared message than for Microsoft's half-century of accomplishments. Microsoft didn't immediately provide a comment. The first interruption on Friday came from Aboussad, who stood up during Microsoft AI CEO Mustafa Suleyman's speech. "Mustafa, shame on you," Aboussad said as she walked towards the stage at the event in Redmond, Washington. "You claim that you care for using AI for good, but Microsoft sells AI weapons to the Israeli military. Fifty thousand people have died, and Microsoft powers this genocide in our region." Aboussad also called Suleyman a "war profiteer." "You have blood on your hands," she said before being swiftly escorted out. "All of Microsoft has blood on its hands." Shortly after the interruption, Aboussad sent an email, which was viewed by CNBC, to Suleyman and other Microsoft executives, including CEO Satya Nadella, finance chief Amy Hood, operating chief Carolina Dybeck Happe and Brad Smith, the company's president. "I spoke up today because after learning that my org was powering the genocide of my people in Palestine, I saw no other moral choice," Aboussad wrote in the email. "This is especially true when I've witnessed how Microsoft has tried to quell and suppress any dissent from my coworkers who tried to raise this issue." Aboussad continued in the email, "I did not sign up to write code that violates human rights," adding a link to a "No Azure for Apartheid" petition. Microsoft wrote in the internal message that Aboussad's email to executives served as "an admission that you deliberately and willfully engaged in your earlier misconduct." The company also said that Abousssad could have raised concerns "confidentially with your manager, or with Global Employee Relations. Instead, you chose to intentionally disrupt the speech of Microsoft AI CEO Mustafa Suleyman." The document went on to say that Microsoft "has concluded that your misconduct was designed to gain notoriety and cause maximum disruption to this highly anticipated event." "Immediate cessation of your employment is the only appropriate response," Microsoft wrote. At a separate Microsoft event with executives on Friday, Agrawal interrupted a speech from Nadella with a similar protest and sent an email to executives afterward. "You may have seen me stand up earlier today to call out Satya during his speech at the Microsoft 50th anniversary," Agrawal wrote in the email, which was viewed by CNBC, on Friday. "Over the past 1.5 years, I've grown more aware of Microsoft's growing role in the military-industrial complex." Agrawal wrote that Microsoft is "complicit" as a "digital weapons manufacturer that powers surveillance, apartheid, and genocide," adding that "by working for this company, we are all complicit." A Microsoft spokesperson said Friday that the company is committed to adhering to the highest standards of business practices. "We provide many avenues for all voices to be heard. Importantly, we ask that this be done in a way that does not cause a business disruption. If that happens, we ask participants to relocate," the spokesperson said.

Microsoft has now fired the employees who publicly protested the company supplying AI tech to the Israeli military

Last Friday, two software engineers vocally protested the use of Microsoft's AI technology by the Israeli military. This follows the international Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement's calls to boycott Xbox earlier that same week (via Rock Paper Shotgun). It has since been reported that, as of this Monday, those two software engineers have been fired by Microsoft. According to emails and internal communication seen by CNBC, AI software engineer Ibtihal Aboussad was told her employment would be terminated on the grounds of "just cause, wilful misconduct, disobedience or wilful neglect of duty." Fellow protestor Vaniya Agrawal had intended to resign from Microsoft on April 11, but the company wrote to her on Monday stating it had "decided to make [her] resignation immediately effective" that same day. In Aboussad's case, Microsoft made direct reference to her protest. Microsoft wrote via internal communication that the company took issue with the public nature of her protest, claiming that Aboussad could have raised concerns "confidentially" with either her manager or Global Employee Relations. The company went on to write, "Instead, you chose to intentionally disrupt the speech of Microsoft AI CEO Mustafa Suleyman," and that it had "concluded that your misconduct was designed to gain notoriety and cause maximum disruption to this highly anticipated event." Ultimately, the company told Aboussad, "Immediate cessation of your employment is the only appropriate response." As previously reported by AP, the Israeli military has increasingly relied on Microsoft's AI technology after the deadly surprise attack by Hamas on October 7, 2023, becoming the second largest military customer only behind the US military. In March 2024 the Israeli military's use of AI spiked up to "200 times" the rate it had been prior to the October 7 attack. According to AP, the Israeli military "uses AI to sift through vast troves of intelligence, [intercept] communications and [...] to find suspicious speech or behavior and learn the movements of its enemies [through surveillance]," with their investigation also highlighting the mortal risks posed by AI false positives in warfare. To briefly recap, during Microsoft's 50th-anniversary event last week in Redmond, Washington, Ibithal Aboussad challenged Microsoft AI CEO Mustafa Suleyman as he took to the stage. She said, "Mustafa, shame on you. You claim that you care for using AI for good, but Microsoft sells AI weapons to the Israeli military. Fifty thousand people have died, and Microsoft powers this genocide in our region." As Aboussad was escorted from the event, she said, "You have blood on your hands. All of Microsoft has blood on its hands." That same day, a Microsoft spokesperson said in a statement provided to PC Gamer, "We provide many avenues for all voices to be heard. Importantly, we ask that this be done in a way that does not cause a business disruption. If that happens, we ask participants to relocate." However, this is not the first time Microsoft has fired employees who had previously taken a public stance on the conflict; in October 2024, Abdo Mohamed and Hossam Nasr were fired after organising a vigil for Palestinians killed in Gaza. Following her ejection from the anniversary event, Aboussad sent an email to a number of Microsoft executives including Mustafa Suleyman, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, finance chief Amy Hood, operating chief Carolina Dybeck Happe, and Microsoft president Brad Smith. In this email, Aboussad clarified her stance, writing, "I spoke up today because after learning that my org was powering the genocide of my people in Palestine, I saw no other moral choice. This is especially true when I've witnessed how Microsoft has tried to quell and suppress any dissent from my coworkers who tried to raise this issue." Internal communication revealed that Microsoft viewed this email written by Aboussad as "an admission that [she had] deliberately and willfully engaged in [...] misconduct." Software engineer Vaniya Agrawal had also spoken up at a separate meeting with Microsoft executives that also took place last Friday, interrupting Satya Nadella. She had similarly composed an email further clarifying her stance, writing, "Over the past 1.5 years, I've grown more aware of Microsoft's growing role in the military-industrial complex." Agrawal goes on to claim Microsoft is "complicit," that the company is a "digital weapons manufacturer that powers surveillance, apartheid, and genocide," and that "by working for this company, we are all complicit." Some of this language is echoed by BDS, which also described Microsoft as "perhaps the most complicit tech company in Israel's illegal occupation, apartheid regime and ongoing genocide against 2.3 million Palestinians in Gaza." The organisation has since called for gamers to "cancel [their] Xbox Game Pass subscription" in order to apply pressure on the company. BDS has also called for the boycott of "all Microsoft Gaming products, including Xbox-branded consoles, headsets, accessories and all games published by Microsoft-owned publishing labels (such as Xbox Game Studios, Activision, Bethesda and Blizzard)." In her initial email, Aboussad included a link to No Azure for Apartheid, an organisation calling for Microsoft to end "its direct and indirect complicity in Israeli apartheid and genocide." The organisation's aims are supported by a number of internal Microsoft employees, having garnered over 1,000 petition signatures and featuring the words "We refuse to be complicit" on its landing page.

Microsoft employees protest at 50th anniversary party over Israel contract

A pro-Palestinian protest by Microsoft employees interrupted the company's 50th anniversary celebration Friday, the latest backlash over the tech industry's work to supply artificial intelligence technology to the Israeli military. The protest began as Microsoft AI CEO Mustafa Suleyman was presenting product updates and a long-term vision for the company's AI assistant product, Copilot, to an audience that included Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates and former CEO Steve Ballmer. "Mustafa, shame on you," shouted Microsoft employee Ibtihal Aboussad as she walked toward the stage and Suleyman paused his speech. "You claim that you care about using AI for good but Microsoft sells AI weapons to the Israeli military. Fifty-thousand people have died and Microsoft powers this genocide in our region." "Thank you for your protest, I hear you," Suleyman said. Aboussad continued, shouting that Suleyman and "all of Microsoft" had blood on their hands. She also threw onto the stage a keffiyeh scarf, which has become a symbol of support for Palestinian people, before being escorted out of the event. A second protester, Microsoft employee Vaniya Agrawal, interrupted another part of the celebration during which Gates, Ballmer and current CEO Satya Nadella were on stage -- the first public gathering since 2014 of the three men who have been Microsoft's CEO. An investigation by The Associated Press revealed earlier this year that AI models from Microsoft and OpenAI had been used as part of an Israeli military program to select bombing targets during the recent wars in Gaza and Lebanon. The story also contained details of an errant Israeli airstrike in 2023 that struck a vehicle carrying members of a Lebanese family, killing three young girls and their grandmother. In February, five Microsoft employees were ejected from a meeting with Nadella for protesting the contracts. While the February event was an internal meeting, Friday's protest was far more public -- a livestreamed showcase of the company's past and future. Some employees also rallied outside the event Friday. "We provide many avenues for all voices to be heard," said a statement from the company Friday. "Importantly, we ask that this be done in a way that does not cause a business disruption. If that happens, we ask participants to relocate. We are committed to ensuring our business practices uphold the highest standards." Microsoft declined to say whether it was taking further action. Aboussad told the AP she hasn't yet heard anything from the company but she and Agrawal both lost access to their work accounts after the protest and have not been able to log back in, a possible indication that they were being fired.

Microsoft workers say they've been fired after 50th anniversary protest over Israel contract

Microsoft has fired two employees who interrupted the company's 50th anniversary celebration to protest its work supplying artificial intelligence technology to the Israeli military, according to a group representing the workers. Microsoft didn't immediately respond to a request for comment Monday. The protests began Friday when Microsoft software engineer Ibtihal Aboussad walked up to a stage where an executive was announcing new product features and a long-term vision for Microsoft's AI ambitions. "You claim that you care about using AI for good but Microsoft sells AI weapons to the Israeli military," Aboussad shouted at Microsoft AI CEO Mustafa Suleyman. "Fifty-thousand people have died and Microsoft powers this genocide in our region." The protest forced Suleyman to pause his talk, which was livestreamed from Microsoft's campus in Redmond, Washington. Among the participants at the 50th anniversary of Microsoft's founding were co-founder Bill Gates and former CEO Steve Ballmer. "Thank you for your protest, I hear you," Suleyman said. Aboussad continued, shouting that Suleyman and "all of Microsoft" had blood on their hands. She also threw onto the stage a keffiyeh scarf, which has become a symbol of support for Palestinian people, before being escorted out of the event. A second protester, Microsoft employee Vaniya Agrawal, interrupted a later part of the event. Aboussad was invited on Monday to a video call with a human resources representative at which she was told she was being terminated immediately. Agrawal was notified over email, according to the advocacy group No Azure for Apartheid, which has protested the sale of Microsoft's Azure cloud computing platform to Israel. An investigation by The Associated Press revealed earlier this year that AI models from Microsoft and OpenAI had been used as part of an Israeli military program to select bombing targets during the recent wars in Gaza and Lebanon. The story also contained details of an errant Israeli airstrike in 2023 that struck a vehicle carrying members of a Lebanese family, killing three young girls and their grandmother. In February, five Microsoft employees were ejected from a meeting with CEO Satya Nadella for protesting the contracts. "We provide many avenues for all voices to be heard," said a statement from the company Friday. "Importantly, we ask that this be done in a way that does not cause a business disruption. If that happens, we ask participants to relocate. We are committed to ensuring our business practices uphold the highest standards." Microsoft had declined to say Friday whether it was taking further action. Aboussad told the AP she lost access to her work accounts shortly after the protest and had not been able to log back in. Dozens of Google workers were fired last year after internal protests surrounding a contract that the technology company has with the Israeli government. Employee sit-ins at Google offices in New York and Sunnyvale, California were targeting a $1.2 billion deal known as Project Nimbus providing AI technology to the Israeli government. The Google workers later filed a complaint with the National Labor Relations Board in an attempt to get their jobs back.

Microsoft workers: We were fired after 50th anniversary protest over Israel contract

Microsoft has fired two employees who interrupted the company's 50th anniversary celebration to protest its work supplying artificial intelligence technology to the Israeli military, according to a group representing the workers. Microsoft didn't immediately respond to a request for comment Monday. The protests began Friday when Microsoft software engineer Ibtihal Aboussad walked up to a stage where an executive was announcing new product features and a long-term vision for Microsoft's AI ambitions. "You claim that you care about using AI for good but Microsoft sells AI weapons to the Israeli military," Aboussad shouted at Microsoft AI CEO Mustafa Suleyman. "Fifty-thousand people have died and Microsoft powers this genocide in our region." The protest forced Suleyman to pause his talk, which was livestreamed from Microsoft's campus in Redmond, Washington. Among the participants at the 50th anniversary of Microsoft's founding were co-founder Bill Gates and former CEO Steve Ballmer. "Thank you for your protest, I hear you," Suleyman said. Aboussad continued, shouting that Suleyman and "all of Microsoft" had blood on their hands. She also threw onto the stage a keffiyeh scarf, which has become a symbol of support for Palestinian people, before being escorted out of the event. A second protester, Microsoft employee Vaniya Agrawal, interrupted a later part of the event. Aboussad was invited on Monday to a video call with a human resources representative at which she was told she was being terminated immediately. Agrawal was notified over email, according to the advocacy group No Azure for Apartheid, which has protested the sale of Microsoft's Azure cloud computing platform to Israel. An investigation by The Associated Press revealed earlier this year that AI models from Microsoft and OpenAI had been used as part of an Israeli military program to select bombing targets during the recent wars in Gaza and Lebanon. The story also contained details of an errant Israeli airstrike in 2023 that struck a vehicle carrying members of a Lebanese family, killing three young girls and their grandmother. In February, five Microsoft employees were ejected from a meeting with CEO Satya Nadella for protesting the contracts. "We provide many avenues for all voices to be heard," said a statement from the company Friday. "Importantly, we ask that this be done in a way that does not cause a business disruption. If that happens, we ask participants to relocate. We are committed to ensuring our business practices uphold the highest standards." Microsoft had declined to say Friday whether it was taking further action. Aboussad told the AP she lost access to her work accounts shortly after the protest and had not been able to log back in. Dozens of Google workers were fired last year after internal protests surrounding a contract that the technology company has with the Israeli government. Employee sit-ins at Google offices in New York and Sunnyvale, California were targeting a $1.2 billion deal known as Project Nimbus providing AI technology to the Israeli government. The Google workers later filed a complaint with the National Labor Relations Board in an attempt to get their jobs back.

Pro-Palestinian Protester Interrupts Microsoft's 50th Anniversary Party Over Israel Contract

REDMOND, Wash. (AP) -- A pro-Palestinian protester interrupted the keynote event of Microsoft's 50th anniversary celebration Friday, the latest backlash over the tech industry's work to supply artificial intelligence technology to the Israeli military. The protest happened as Microsoft AI CEO Mustafa Suleyman was presenting product updates and a long-term vision for the company's AI assistant product, Copilot, to an audience that included Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates and former CEO Steve Ballmer. "Mustafa, shame on you," shouted a woman in the audience. "You claim that you care about using AI for good but Microsoft sells AI weapons to the Israeli military." She said 50,000 people have died and described it as a genocide. "Thank you for your protest, I hear you," Suleyman said. The protester continued, shouting that he and "all of Microsoft" had blood on their hands. An investigation by The Associated Press revealed earlier this year that AI models from Microsoft and OpenAI had been used as part of an Israeli military program to select bombing targets during the recent wars in Gaza and Lebanon. The story also contained details of an errant Israeli airstrike in 2023 that struck a vehicle carrying members of a Lebanese family, killing three young girls and their grandmother. In February, five Microsoft employees were ejected from a meeting with CEO Satya Nadella for protesting the contracts. While the February event was an internal meeting, Friday's protest was far more public -- a livestreamed showcase of the company's past and future. "We provide many avenues for all voices to be heard," said a statement from the company Friday. "Importantly, we ask that this be done in a way that does not cause a business disruption. If that happens, we ask participants to relocate. We are committed to ensuring our business practices uphold the highest standards." Microsoft declined to say whether it would take further action. Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

'Shame on you all': Microsoft anniversary celebration interrupted by protesters

Two separate pro-Palestinian employees interrupted events at the company's headquarters in Redmond, Washington, before they were escorted out. Both also wrote company-wide emails about their anger. Two Microsoft employees interrupted the company's 50th anniversary celebrations at its Washington headquarters on Friday, with one yelling at former company CEOs Steve Ballmer and Bill Gates, and current Microsoft AI CEO Mustafa Suleyman while they were all on stage. Vaniya Agrawal, a software engineer in the company's artificial intelligence division, interrupted the CEOs while they were chatting on stage in Redmond, Washington. "Shame on you all. You're all hypocrites," she said before another woman immediately began escorting her out. "Fifty thousand Palestinians in Gaza have been murdered with Microsoft technology. How dare you. Shame on all of you for celebrating on their blood. Cut ties with Israel." Agrawal also mentioned the No Azure for Apartheid group, started among Microsoft employees to call on the company to end "direct and indirect complicity in Israeli apartheid and genocide." At least one person in the room booed her, and videos taken from inside the event show Gates chuckling following the interruption, saying, "alright" before returning to the discussion that was underway. In a statement to USA TODAY, a Microsoft spokesperson who declined to be named said that any protests should not "cause a business disruption." "We provide many avenues for all voices to be heard. Importantly, we ask that this be done in a way that does not cause a business disruption," they said. "If that happens, we ask participants to relocate. We are committed to ensuring our business practices uphold the highest standards." The spokesperson did not respond to the specific allegations from Agrawal. Protest interrupting CEOs followed another on same day Earlier on Friday, another employee, Ibtihal Aboussad, stood up as Suleyman was talking on stage, calling him a "war profiteer." Aboussad also sent an email to Microsoft executives explaining the reasons behind her protest on Friday, according to CNBC and The Verge. "I spoke up today because after learning that my org was powering the genocide of my people in Palestine, I saw no other moral choice," she said. "For the past year and a half, our Arab, Palestinian, and Muslim community at Microsoft has been silenced, intimidated, harassed, and doxxed with impunity from Microsoft." Suleyman responded to Aboussad's protest by saying: "Thank you, I hear your protest." She responded: "You do not hear us." Apart from the protests inside the event, a larger rally organized by the same No Azure for Apartheid group was being staged outside. Protest letter: 'I've decided to leave Microsoft' Agrawal also sent a mass email to company employees saying that her last day at Microsoft is April 11, as well as noting the reason for her protest, according to the Verge. "I cannot, in good conscience, be part of a company that participates in this violent injustice," she wrote. "I find it more and more difficult to continue giving my time, energy, and care to a company that is on the wrong side of history ... Microsoft leadership must divest from Israel and stop selling lethal technology to power apartheid and genocide." What is Microsoft's involvement with Israel? In the wake of the attack on Israel by Hamas militants on Oct. 7, 2023, the Israeli military's use of Microsoft Azure and OpenAI has skyrocketed, according to an Associated Press investigation published in February. The nation is using technology from the companies to sift through intelligence, intercept communications and surveillance, identify suspicious speech and "learn the movements of its enemies," AP reported. An investigation by The Guardian in January reached similar conclusions about what it describes as Microsoft's deep ties with Israel. Microsoft declined to comment on either agency's investigations, including not responding to AP's "detailed list of written questions about the cloud and AI services it provides to the Israeli military." Microsoft also did not respond to the specific allegations involving Israel when reached by USA TODAY on Friday.

Microsoft AI CEO's Remarks Interrupted by Pro-Palestinian Protester

(Reuters) - Microsoft AI CEO Mustafa Suleyman's remarks were interrupted by a pro-Palestinian protesting employee during the technology company's 50th anniversary celebration on Friday over the firm's ties with Israel. "You are a war profiteer. Stop using AI for genocide," Microsoft employee Ibtihal Aboussad said at the event in Redmond, Washington, while interrupting Suleyman who was talking about the company's artificial intelligence assistant product. Suleyman responded by saying: "I hear your protest, thank you." The protesting employee was then escorted away. An investigation by The Associated Press revealed earlier this year that AI models from Microsoft and OpenAI were used as part of an Israeli military program to select bombing targets during its wars in Gaza and Lebanon. Various other firms and educational institutions have also faced protests over their ties with Israel as the humanitarian crisis in Gaza from Israel's military assault has mounted. The latest bloodshed in the decades-old Israeli-Palestinian conflict was triggered in October 2023, when Palestinian Islamist group Hamas attacked Israel, killing 1,200 and taking about 250 hostages, according to Israeli tallies. Israel's subsequent assault on Hamas-governed Gaza has killed over 50,000 Palestinians, according to Gazan health officials, while also triggering accusations of genocide and war crimes that Israel denies. The assault has internally displaced nearly Gaza's entire 2.3 million population and caused a hunger crisis. The Verge tech news website quoted an email that Aboussad, the protesting employee, sent to other Microsoft employees justifying her protest. Microsoft said it provided many avenues for all voices to be heard in a way that does not cause business interruption. Aboussad was cited by AP to be saying that she and another protesting employee lost access to their work accounts after the protest. (Reporting by Kanishka Singh in Washington and Jeffrey Dastin in Redmond; Editing by Stephen Coates)

Microsoft Workers Say They've Been Fired After 50th Anniversary Protest Over Israel Contract

Microsoft has fired two employees who interrupted the company's 50th anniversary celebration to protest its work supplying artificial intelligence technology to the Israeli military, according to a group representing the workers. Microsoft didn't immediately respond to a request for comment Monday. The protests began Friday when Microsoft software engineer Ibtihal Aboussad walked up to a stage where an executive was announcing new product features and a long-term vision for Microsoft's AI ambitions. "You claim that you care about using AI for good but Microsoft sells AI weapons to the Israeli military," Aboussad shouted at Microsoft AI CEO Mustafa Suleyman. "Fifty-thousand people have died and Microsoft powers this genocide in our region." The protest forced Suleyman to pause his talk, which was livestreamed from Microsoft's campus in Redmond, Washington. Among the participants at the 50th anniversary of Microsoft's founding were co-founder Bill Gates and former CEO Steve Ballmer. "Thank you for your protest, I hear you," Suleyman said. Aboussad continued, shouting that Suleyman and "all of Microsoft" had blood on their hands. She also threw onto the stage a keffiyeh scarf, which has become a symbol of support for Palestinian people, before being escorted out of the event. A second protester, Microsoft employee Vaniya Agrawal, interrupted a later part of the event. Aboussad was invited on Monday to a video call with a human resources representative at which she was told she was being terminated immediately. Agrawal was notified over email, according to the advocacy group No Azure for Apartheid, which has protested the sale of Microsoft's Azure cloud computing platform to Israel. An investigation by The Associated Press revealed earlier this year that AI models from Microsoft and OpenAI had been used as part of an Israeli military program to select bombing targets during the recent wars in Gaza and Lebanon. The story also contained details of an errant Israeli airstrike in 2023 that struck a vehicle carrying members of a Lebanese family, killing three young girls and their grandmother. In February, five Microsoft employees were ejected from a meeting with CEO Satya Nadella for protesting the contracts. "We provide many avenues for all voices to be heard," said a statement from the company Friday. "Importantly, we ask that this be done in a way that does not cause a business disruption. If that happens, we ask participants to relocate. We are committed to ensuring our business practices uphold the highest standards." Microsoft had declined to say Friday whether it was taking further action. Aboussad told the AP she lost access to her work accounts shortly after the protest and had not been able to log back in. Dozens of Google workers were fired last year after internal protests surrounding a contract that the technology company has with the Israeli government. Employee sit-ins at Google offices in New York and Sunnyvale, California were targeting a $1.2 billion deal known as Project Nimbus providing AI technology to the Israeli government. The Google workers later filed a complaint with the National Labor Relations Board in an attempt to get their jobs back. Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Protesters Disrupted Microsoft's Birthday Celebration, Then Got Fired

Microsoft turned 50 on Friday, a true landmark for any company. But its big anniversary celebrations, attended by some of the company's senior leadership corps, were notable for a surprising reason: two protesters, both existing Microsoft staff, chose the high-profile events as the perfect time to make a political statement and they are now no longer Microsoft employees. Ibtihal Aboussad, a Canada-based software engineer in the company's AI division, interrupted Microsoft AI CEO Mustafa Suleyman's keynote speech with a protest about Microsoft's involvement with the Israeli military, and at a different event, later on, another software engineer, Vaniya Agrawal, interrupted CEO Satya Nadella's speech to criticize what she said was the company's "growing role in the military-industrial complex." Both workers have been terminated, CNBC reports, highlighting how protesting company policies in public can fall outside the bounds of protected speech. In her protest before Suleyman at the Redmond, Washington event, Aboussad made things personal: "Mustafa, shame on you," she said. "You claim that you care for using AI for good, but Microsoft sells AI weapons to the Israeli military. Fifty thousand people have died, and Microsoft powers this genocide in our region." Aboussad also branded Suleyman as a "war profiteer" and accused him and Microsoft itself as having blood on its hands. Agrawal interrupted Nadella with a similar speech. Both workers sent an email to Microsoft executives afterwards to explain their positions, with Aboussad noting that she "saw no other moral choice," but to protest about Microsoft's involvement in the Israeli military actions in Palestine. "This is especially true when I've witnessed how Microsoft has tried to quell and suppress any dissent from my coworkers who tried to raise this issue" she added.

Microsoft AI CEO's remarks interrupted by pro-Palestinian protester

During Microsoft's 50th anniversary event, employee Ibtihal Aboussad interrupted AI CEO Mustafa Suleyman, protesting the company's ties to Israel amid Gaza's humanitarian crisis. Aboussad cited AI use in Israeli military operations. She and another protester reportedly lost access to their work accounts after the incident.Microsoft AI CEO Mustafa Suleyman's remarks were interrupted by a pro-Palestinian protesting employee during the technology company's 50th anniversary celebration on Friday over the firm's ties with Israel. "You are a war profiteer. Stop using AI for genocide," Microsoft employee Ibtihal Aboussad said at the event in Redmond, Washington, while interrupting Suleyman who was talking about the company's artificial intelligence assistant product. Suleyman responded by saying: "I hear your protest, thank you." The protesting employee was then escorted away. An investigation by The Associated Press revealed earlier this year that AI models from Microsoft and OpenAI were used as part of an Israeli military program to select bombing targets during its wars in Gaza and Lebanon. Various other firms and educational institutions have also faced protests over their ties with Israel as the humanitarian crisis in Gaza from Israel's military assault has mounted. The latest bloodshed in the decades-old Israeli-Palestinian conflict was triggered in October 2023, when Palestinian Islamist group Hamas attacked Israel, killing 1,200 and taking about 250 hostages, according to Israeli tallies. Israel's subsequent assault on Hamas-governed Gaza has killed over 50,000 Palestinians, according to Gazan health officials, while also triggering accusations of genocide and war crimes that Israel denies. The assault has internally displaced nearly Gaza's entire 2.3 million population and caused a hunger crisis. The Verge tech news website quoted an email that Aboussad, the protesting employee, sent to other Microsoft employees justifying her protest. Microsoft said it provided many avenues for all voices to be heard in a way that does not cause business interruption. Aboussad was cited by AP to be saying that she and another protesting employee lost access to their work accounts after the protest.

Microsoft fires two staffers after anniversary protests; calls acts "hostile" in internal memo

Microsoft has terminated two employees following high-profile protests during its 50th anniversary celebrations, citing their actions as "hostile, unprovoked, and highly inappropriate" in an internal memo sent to staff. The internal communication, reviewed by CNBC, took centre stage in the company's response to the events, which saw the employees interrupt senior leadership at key moments during the milestone gathering. The memo underlined Microsoft's commitment to open dialogue but added that "disruptive behaviour that undermines our events or operations cannot be condoned." Protests over Microsoft's Israel contracts The two employees -- identified as Ibtihal Aboussad and Vaniya Agrawal -- were protesting Microsoft's business engagements with the Israeli government, particularly over claims that its artificial intelligence (AI) and cloud technologies are being used in military operations in Gaza. The first incident happened during a presentation by Microsoft AI CEO Mustafa Suleyman. As Suleyman spoke about updates to the Copilot product and Microsoft's broader AI ambitions, Aboussad interrupted the session. She said, "Mustafa, shame on you. You claim that you care about using AI for good, but Microsoft sells AI weapons to the Israeli military. Fifty-thousand people have died, and Microsoft powers this genocide in our region." She was subsequently escorted out of the venue and later terminated, according to the memo. The document noted that Aboussad "could have raised concerns confidentially with (her) manager, or with Global Employee Relations," but instead chose to disrupt a public event. The second disruption came during a panel featuring Microsoft cofounder Bill Gates, former CEO Steve Ballmer, and current CEO Satya Nadella. Agrawal, who had already submitted her resignation prior to the event, was dismissed immediately after the incident. Organised by internal activist group Both protests were reportedly organised by "No Azure for Apartheid," an activist group of Microsoft employees pushing for the company to sever its cloud contracts with the Israeli government. The group alleges that Microsoft's technology is being used in ways that violate human rights in the occupied Palestinian territories. While Microsoft has not commented publicly on the firings, the company reaffirmed in the internal memo its stance on maintaining a respectful workplace environment and emphasised that employee activism must be channelled through appropriate internal mechanisms.

Worker Disrupts Microsoft 50th Anniversay Event With Bill Gates, Steve Ballmer, And Satya Nadella Present, Calls Tech Giant 'War Profiteer' - Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT)

On Friday, a Microsoft Corporation MSFT employee disrupted the company's 50th-anniversary event, accusing the tech giant of complicity in war crimes. Microsoft's former CEOs Bill Gates, Steve Ballmer, and current CEO Satya Nadella attended the event. What Happened: During the event, Ibtihal Aboussad, a Microsoft employee, interrupted Microsoft's AI CEO Mustafa Suleyman's speech, shouting, "You are a war profiteer. Stop using AI for genocide. You have blood on your hands. All of Microsoft has blood on its hands." See Also: Tesla And Other US Robotics Giants Demand Federal Strategy To Compete With China's $138 Billion Push -- Warn America Will Lose The Race Without It Aboussad, a software engineer with Microsoft's AI Platform org, followed the outburst with an email to Microsoft employees, explaining her actions, reported The Verge. Subscribe to the Benzinga Tech Trends newsletter to get all the latest tech developments delivered to your inbox. "I spoke up today because after learning that my org was powering the genocide of my people in Palestine, I saw no other moral choice," Aboussad wrote, condemning the company's alleged involvement in AI technology used by the Israeli military. Microsoft did not immediately respond to Benzinga's request for comments. Price Action: Microsoft's stock dropped 3.56% on Friday. In the after-hours session, the stock declined an additional 0.025%, according to Benzinga Pro data. Benzinga Edge Stock Rankings gives MSFT a growth score of 64.59%. Want to see how it compares to other stocks? Click here for the full analysis. Check out more of Benzinga's Consumer Tech coverage by following this link. Read Next: Tim Cook Praises China's DeepSeek For Driving Efficiency, Stresses Apple's 'Prudent And Deliberate' Approach Toward Capital Expenditure Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors. Photo courtesy: Shutterstock MSFTMicrosoft Corp$359.75-3.58%Stock Score Locked: Want to See it? Benzinga Rankings give you vital metrics on any stock - anytime. Reveal Full ScoreEdge RankingsMomentum37.88Growth64.59Quality31.99Value14.54Price TrendShortMediumLongOverviewMarket News and Data brought to you by Benzinga APIs

Two Microsoft Employees Disrupted The Company's 50th Anniversary Event, Openly Questioning The Ethics Behind Its Deployment Of AI Technology

Microsoft was celebrating its 50th anniversary with some prominent leaders, including Bill Gates, Satya Nadella, Steve Balmer, and the CEO of Microsoft of AI, Mustafa Suleyman. The celebrations were interrupted by two employees who protested against the company's use of AI technologies and how they are playing a role in a global conflict. Microsoft's public stance on ethical Artificial Intelligence was challenged by the protesters who continue to highlight the growing concerns of employees and the tech community at large on being transparent about the AI tools deployed. Microsoft was celebrating its 50 years in the industry, and the event involved some key figures associated with the company, such as Bill Gates, the co-founder of Microsoft; Steve Ballmer, the former CEO; Satya Nadella, the current CEO; and Mustafa Suleyman, the CEO of Microsoft AI. The celebration included the company's partners, employees, and collaborators. The event took an intense turn when two employees of the company stood up against its use of AI technology. It was initially Ibtihal Aboussad who made a bold protest against the company's use of AI technology to support war efforts, especially in areas that are affected by violence. She condemned the company for celebrating a milestone without weighing the moral outage of the company's use of innovation and technology. While stating her concerns and directing her disappointment at Microsoft's AI CEO Mustafa Suleyman, Aboussad said: You are a war profiteer. Stop using AI for genocide. Stop using AI for genocide in our region. You have blood on your hands. All of Microsoft has blood on its hands. How dare you all celebrate when Microsoft is killing children. Shame on you all. While the employee was escorted out of the event, she sent an email to many of the Microsoft employees voicing the same concerns. Then, the celebration was interrupted by another protester, Vaniya Agrawal, who jumped in while all the prominent figures, past and current CEO's, were present on stage and called them out regarding their alleged involvement in military applications of AI. The present and past chief executives continued their discussion without addressing the incident. Microsoft's 50th-anniversary celebration was meant to highlight the company's latest innovation in Copilot and AI, but the protests caused a shift in the atmosphere, changing the focus away from the leaps in technology to deeper ethical concerns.

Microsoft Fires Employee Protestors Who Disrupted 50th Anniversary Event: 'You Have Shown No Remorse For The Effect That Your Actions Have' - Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT)

Microsoft Corp. MSFT has reportedly fired two employees who disrupted the tech giant's 50th-anniversary event on Friday after protesting the company's contracts with Israel and accusing its AI CEO of war profiteering. What Happened: Ibtihal Aboussad and Vaniya Agrawal, both Microsoft employees, staged protests during the company's high-profile 50th-anniversary event in Redmond, Washington. In an email sent to Aboussad, Microsoft condemned the disruption as "misconduct" and stated that Aboussad's actions, including "finger-pointing" and shouting at Mustafa Suleyman, were inappropriate and aggressive enough to warrant being escorted out by security, reported The Verge. See Also: Tesla And Other US Robotics Giants Demand Federal Strategy To Compete With China's $138 Billion Push -- Warn America Will Lose The Race Without It The company described Aboussad's actions as "designed to gain notoriety and cause maximum disruption" and noted that the protester had shown no remorse for the consequences of her actions. "You have shown no remorse for the effect that your actions have had and will have," the email read. Aboussad was fired by Microsoft Canada, while Agrawal, who had already submitted her resignation, was let go shortly after the protest. Subscribe to the Benzinga Tech Trends newsletter to get all the latest tech developments delivered to your inbox. Microsoft previously responded to Benzinga's request for comments, saying, "We provide many avenues for all voices to be heard. Importantly, we ask that this be done in a way that does not cause a business disruption. If that happens, we ask participants to relocate. We are committed to ensuring our business practices uphold the highest standards." Why It's Important: Aboussad interrupted a speech by Suleyman, calling him a "war profiteer" and demanding that Microsoft stop using AI for "genocide in our region." On the other hand, Agrawal disrupted the event later by confronting Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates, former CEO Steve Ballmer, and current CEO Satya Nadella. Both employees belong to "No Azure for Apartheid," a group of Microsoft employees who have been rallying against the company's involvement with the Israeli government, the report noted. Price Action: Microsoft (MSFT) shares slipped 0.55% on Monday. However, the stock rebounded in the after-hours session, gaining 0.74% to reach $360.50. Year-to-date, Microsoft's stock has declined 14.51%, according to Benzinga Pro data. Benzinga Edge Stock Rankings gives MSFT a growth score of 64.65%. Curious how it stacks up against other stocks? Click here for the full analysis. Check out more of Benzinga's Consumer Tech coverage by following this link. Read Next: Tim Cook Praises China's DeepSeek For Driving Efficiency, Stresses Apple's 'Prudent And Deliberate' Approach Toward Capital Expenditure Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors. Photo courtesy: Shutterstock MSFTMicrosoft Corp$360.500.18%Stock Score Locked: Want to See it? Benzinga Rankings give you vital metrics on any stock - anytime. Reveal Full ScoreEdge RankingsMomentum39.36Growth64.65Quality33.42Value14.63Price TrendShortMediumLongOverviewGot Questions? AskWhich tech companies may face similar protests?How could Microsoft's reputation be impacted long-term?What opportunities exist in ethical tech investments?Will this incident influence investor sentiment towards MSFT?How might AI companies adjust their strategies?Which defense contractors could benefit from tech partnerships?What sectors might see increased scrutiny after this event?Are there alternative investments in ethical tech?How will activism in tech affect stock performance?Which socially responsible funds could gain traction now?Powered ByMarket News and Data brought to you by Benzinga APIs

Microsoft Terminates Employee Who When On Stage To Protest Against The Software Company On Its 50th-Anniversary, Saying It Was Due To 'Acts Of Misconduct'

An event celebrating Microsoft's 50th-anniversary was disrupted by two employees, who claimed that the software giant was a 'war profiteer' and that it had to stop using AI to fulfill illicit goals. The celebratory evening had the firm's artificial intelligence head, Mustafa Suleyman, along with former and current Chief Executive Officer Steve Ballmer and Satya Nadella present on stage, meaning that there was no opportunity like the current one for these protestors to become the voice of the 'voiceless.' Unfortunately, these turn of events cost the employment of these individuals, with one of them almost immediately terminated from her position. Ibtihal Aboussad was the name of one of the protestors present at the Microsoft event, and after the memorable episode, the Redmond firm took swift action. Prior to being terminated from their positions, Aboussad and a second employee, Vaniya Agrawal, were sending separate emails to thousands of co-workers, stating that Microsoft should sever its contracts with the Israeli government. As reported by The Verge, Aboussad received the following the email, which reprimanded her for her actions. "Earlier today, you interrupted a speech by Microsoft AI CEO Mustafa Suleyman during the Company's 50th anniversary event in Redmond, Seattle, by yelling and finger-pointing at the CEO before a live audience of thousands of attendees, and making hostile, unprovoked, and highly inappropriate accusations against the CEO, the Company and Microsoft generally. While the CEO remained calm and attempted to de-escalate the matter, your conduct was so aggressive that you had to be escorted out of the room by security." Both Aboussad and Agrawal are protestors linked to a group that carry out multiple protests against Microsoft for its closed connections with Israel. More details from the email to Aboussad said that her acts were designed to cause disruption at an event that is considered to be a huge milestone for Microsoft. Moreoever, she has yet to apologize for her actions, which ultimately led to her dismissal. "The company has concluded that your misconduct was designed to gain notoriety and cause maximum disruption to this highly anticipated event. It is also concerning that you have not apologized to the company, and in fact you have shown no remorse for the effect that your actions have had and will have." Aboussad was a software engineer for Microsoft's AI division, and based in Canada. The former employee's actions could be based on the evidence she spotted, but so far, there is no substantiated proof that the company has any link to the atrocities happening in other parts of the world.

Anti-Israel protesters crash Microsoft anniversary event over Gaza ties

An anti-Israel protester called Microsoft's AI CEO Mustafa Suleyman a "war criminal" and "conspirator" for what she perceived as the company's perceived aid to Israel. Anti-Israel activists disrupted the Microsoft 50th anniversary celebration in Redmond on Friday, with two officer presentations interrupted by the software giant's employees. As Microsoft artificial intelligence CEO Mustafa Suleyman spoke, a worker threw a keffiyeh on stage and accused him and the company of aiding Israeli military efforts in Gaza. "You claim that you care about using AI for good but Microsoft sells AI weapons to the Israeli military," the employee activists said according to a video posted on Instagram by No Azure for Apartheid. You are a war profiteer." The activist charged that the Microsoft Azure cloud and AI platforms were being used in a supposed genocide against Palestinians. No Azure for Apartheid, which claims to represent Microsoft workers against business ties between the company and the state of Israel, called Suleyman a "war criminal" and "conspirator" in alleged crimes by Israel. Suleyman acknowledged and thanked the employee for her protest, but the employee continued to lambast him as she was led out of the event by security. View this post on Instagram A post shared by No Azure for Apartheid (@noazureforapartheid) 'Murdered by Microsoft technology' "All of Microsoft has blood on its hands," said the activist. A panel with Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, former CEO Steve Ballmer, and founder Bill Gates was disrupted by another employee associated with the group. "50,000 Palestinians have been murdered by Microsoft technology," yelled the activist in another video published by the group. No Azure for Apartheid decried the Microsoft leaders for ignoring the protester and returning to the discussion. The employee reportedly later sent a mass email announcing that she was quitting because of Microsoft's ties to Israel. Stay updated with the latest news! Subscribe to The Jerusalem Post Newsletter Subscribe Now Other protesters marched onto Microsoft campus with banners and signs calling for the end of contrasts with Israeli bodies. "Microsoft, you can't hide! You sell tech for genocide," chanted the activists. No Azure for Apartheid, connected to the general No Tech for Apartheid anti-Israel tech worker movement, demands for the disclosure of all ties to the Israeli military and an audit of whether Microsoft products have been used in war crimes. The group also maintains a petition of 1,000 employees calling on Microsoft leadership to endorse a ceasefire in Gaza. Five Microsoft employees were removed from a conference on February 24 for a similar protest in which Nadella was interrupted by protesters wearing shirts accusing the officer of using their code to kill children. No Azure for Apartheid said on Instagram that their protesters were "fueled" by the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions Movement's Thursday call to boycott the Xbox gaming platform. BDS said on X that it hoped to pressure Microsoft into cutting ties with Israel by embargoing Xbox. The official BDS organizing body called for supporters to cancel Xbox GamePass subscriptions, to not play Microsoft video game franchises, as well as all branded gaming products such as consoles and headsets.

Microsoft anti-Israel employee fired after disrupting anniversary event

"Microsoft thinks it can scare us by firing our members, but they could not be more mistaken," said No Azure. "In fact, Microsoft should be scared." A Microsoft employee was fired and another resigned after disrupting the Microsoft 50th anniversary celebration in Redmond on Friday, a Microsoft spokesperson told The Jerusalem Post on Tuesday, though protest organizer No Azure for Apartheid claimed that both activists were terminated. The former employees, identified in a Tuesday Instagram post by the protest group as Ibtihal Aboussad and Vaniya Agrawal, reportedly lost access to corporate infrastructure soon after their protests and had not been notified of their status at the company by Sunday. However, in a Friday Instagram post, No Azure said that Agrawal had resigned in a mass email to other company employees. "Losing our jobs is a trivial price to pay for our principles and the fight for a free Palestine from the river to the sea," said No Azure. No Azure claimed in its statement that the software giant's public image had been ruined by the protest, and that workers in the Middle East had sent their own protest emails as they joined in a global work strike to call for the end of Israeli military operations in Gaza. "Microsoft thinks it can scare us by firing our members, but they could not be more mistaken," said No Azure. "In fact, Microsoft should be scared." Council on American-Islamic Relations Washington praised the two activist ex-employees, and echoed their calls for ending contracts with Israel because software products were being used by the IDF. "There isn't much more that needs to be said after seeing 18 months of Israeli mass destruction, slaughter of women and children, ethnic cleansing, forced starvation, and genocide," CAIR-WA Executive Director Imraan Siddiqi said in a Tuesday statement. "The employees are firmly on the right side of history, yet these corporations are constantly showing they favor profit and shareholder value over human lives. This has to end." Aboussad had interrupted an address by Microsoft artificial intelligence CEO Mustafa Suleyman, throwing a keffiyeh on stage and accusing him and the company of aiding Israeli military efforts in Gaza. "You claim that you care about using AI for good but Microsoft sells AI weapons to the Israeli military," Aboussad said according to a video posted on Instagram by No Azure for Apartheid. "You are a war profiteer." Microsoft panel disrupted A panel with Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, former CEO Steve Ballmer, and founder Bill Gates was disrupted by Agrawal, who claimed that "50,000 Palestinians have been murdered by Microsoft technology." Stay updated with the latest news! Subscribe to The Jerusalem Post Newsletter Subscribe Now Other activists marched onto the Microsoft campus with banners and signs calling for the end of contracts with the State of Israel, chanting, "Microsoft, you can't hide! You sell tech for genocide." Aboussad said in an email to the company that she felt that there was "no other way to make our voices heard" because the company had allegedly suppressed dissent on the issue. "Microsoft cloud and AI enabled the Israeli military to be more lethal and destructive in Gaza than they otherwise could," claimed Aboussad. "Microsoft has also been providing software, cloud services, and consulting services to the Israeli military and government, totaling millions in profit." Argawal claimed in her email that Microsoft was complicit in apartheid and genocide, and by working for the company, employees were also complicit in the alleged crimes. A Microsoft spokesperson told The Post on Monday that it provides "many avenues for all voices to be heard. Importantly, we ask that this be done in a way that does not cause a business disruption. If that happens, we ask participants to relocate. We are committed to ensuring our business practices uphold the highest standards." No Azure noted on social media Tuesday that two of its members were fired for protest action in October. Five Microsoft employees were removed from a conference on February 24 for a protest in which Nadella was interrupted by demonstrators wearing shirts accusing the officer of using their code to kill children. No Azure for Apartheid said on Instagram that their protesters were "fueled" by the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions Movement's call last Thursday to boycott the Xbox gaming platform. BDS said on X that it hoped to pressure Microsoft into cutting ties with Israel by embargoing Xbox. The official BDS organizing body called for supporters to cancel Xbox GamePass subscriptions and to not play Microsoft video game franchises, as well as all branded gaming products such as consoles and headsets. "Microsoft Gaming, which includes Xbox consoles, Xbox game pass, Candy Crush, Call of Duty, Minecraft, and gaming accessories, makes up a considerable portion of Microsoft's profit," said BDS Movement. "By boycotting the Xbox brand, we're pressuring Microsoft to end its complicity in Israel's genocide, occupation, and apartheid against Palestinians." BDS said that the Azure cloud and AI services were "central" to alleged Israeli actions against Palestinians, and the Israeli military was reliant on the systems. "Genocide is not a game," wrote BDS.

Fired Microsoft Engineers Who Protested AI Use by Israeli Military Say Company 'Suppresses Dissent'

Microsoft has fired two software engineers who protested against the company's contracts with the Israeli military. | Credit: Smith Collection/Gado / Getty Images. Two Microsoft engineers who protested the firm's decision to sell AI to the Israeli military have been fired. Ibtihal Aboussad and Vaniya Agrawal, both software engineers for Microsoft's AI department, had their contracts terminated after they interrupted separate events marking the firm's anniversary. Protests at Microsoft 50th Anniversary On Friday, April 4, Aboussad interrupted a speech by Microsoft AI CEO Mustafa Suleyman during the firm's 50th anniversary celebrations. The software engineer reportedly called Suleyman a "war profiteer" and said Microsoft had "blood on its hands." In an email to Microsoft's leadership after the event, Aboussad said: "I spoke up today because after learning that my org was powering the genocide of my people in Palestine, I saw no other moral choice." "This is especially true when I've witnessed how Microsoft has tried to quell and suppress any dissent from my coworkers who tried to raise this issue," he added. At a separate Microsoft event the same day, Agrawal interrupted a speech by Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella. "Over the past 1.5 years, I've grown more aware of Microsoft's growing role in the military-industrial complex," she explained in an email after the event. Agrawal accused Microsoft of complicity in "surveillance, apartheid and genocide," stating that "by working for this company, we are all complicit." Big Tech Ties to Israel Microsoft is among several American Big Tech firms that have come under fire for their contracts with the Israeli government. In 2024, Microsoft employees started the "No Azure for Apartheid" petition calling on the firm to scrap its cloud contracts with the Israeli government and military. Similar protests have taken place at Google, where staff have held sit-ins and rallies to protest Project Nimbus -- a $1.2 billion joint venture with Amazon to provide cloud and AI services to the Israeli Defence Force. Employee Activism Causes Tension With Tech Executives Silicon Valley has long been a hotbed of employee activism. And in recent years, tensions have flared between politically liberal staff and profit-oriented senior executives. Like Microsoft, Google also fired workers who protested against Project Nimbus. In a sign of the company's evolution over time, Google recently dropped a commitment not to develop AI for weapons. The decision was especially telling, as an employee revolt in 2018 prompted Google to adopt the policy in the first place. Meanwhile, at Meta, the firm's increasingly conservative approach to transgender issues and Big Tech's step back from diversity, equity and inclusion have also faced a backlash from staff. Reflecting the widening rift between leadership and employees, Meta's Chief Technology Officer, Andrew Bosworth, recently said that staff who oppose the new policies should either accept the changes or leave .

Microsoft employees fired after protesting 'AI weapons' supply to...

Microsoft has fired two employees who interrupted the company's 50th anniversary celebration to protest its work supplying artificial intelligence technology to the Israeli military, according to a group representing the workers. Microsoft didn't immediately respond to a request for comment Monday. The protests began Friday when Microsoft software engineer Ibtihal Aboussad walked up to a stage where an executive was announcing new product features and a long-term vision for Microsoft's AI ambitions. "You claim that you care about using AI for good but Microsoft sells AI weapons to the Israeli military," Aboussad shouted at Microsoft AI CEO Mustafa Suleyman. "Fifty-thousand people have died and Microsoft powers this genocide in our region." The protest forced Suleyman to pause his talk, which was livestreamed from Microsoft's campus in Redmond, Washington. Among the participants at the 50th anniversary of Microsoft's founding were co-founder Bill Gates and former CEO Steve Ballmer. "Thank you for your protest, I hear you," Suleyman said. Aboussad continued, shouting that Suleyman and "all of Microsoft" had blood on their hands. She also threw onto the stage a keffiyeh scarf, which has become a symbol of support for Palestinian people, before being escorted out of the event. A second protester, Microsoft employee Vaniya Agrawal, interrupted a later part of the event. Aboussad was invited on Monday to a video call with a human resources representative at which she was told she was being terminated immediately. Agrawal was notified over email, according to the advocacy group No Azure for Apartheid, which has protested the sale of Microsoft's Azure cloud computing platform to Israel. An investigation by The Associated Press revealed earlier this year that AI models from Microsoft and OpenAI had been used as part of an Israeli military program to select bombing targets during the recent wars in Gaza and Lebanon. The story also contained details of an errant Israeli airstrike in 2023 that struck a vehicle carrying members of a Lebanese family, killing three young girls and their grandmother. In February, five Microsoft employees were ejected from a meeting with CEO Satya Nadella for protesting the contracts. "We provide many avenues for all voices to be heard," said a statement from the company Friday. "Importantly, we ask that this be done in a way that does not cause a business disruption. If that happens, we ask participants to relocate. We are committed to ensuring our business practices uphold the highest standards." Microsoft had declined to say Friday whether it was taking further action. Aboussad told the AP she lost access to her work accounts shortly after the protest and had not been able to log back in. Dozens of Google workers were fired last year after internal protests surrounding a contract that the technology company has with the Israeli government. Employee sit-ins at Google offices in New York and Sunnyvale, California were targeting a $1.2 billion deal known as Project Nimbus providing AI technology to the Israeli government. The Google workers later filed a complaint with the National Labor Relations Board in an attempt to get their jobs back.

Anti-Israel protester infiltrates Microsoft's 50th anniversary...

A pro-Palestinian protester interrupted the keynote event of Microsoft's 50th anniversary celebration Friday, the latest backlash over the tech industry's work to supply artificial intelligence technology to the Israeli military. The protest happened as Microsoft AI CEO Mustafa Suleyman was presenting product updates and a long-term vision for the company's AI assistant product, Copilot, to an audience that included Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates and former CEO Steve Ballmer. "Mustafa, shame on you," shouted a woman in the audience. "You claim that you care about using AI for good but Microsoft sells AI weapons to the Israeli military." She claimed 50,000 people have died and described it as a genocide. "Thank you for your protest, I hear you," Suleyman said. The protester continued, shouting that he and "all of Microsoft" had blood on their hands. An investigation by The Associated Press revealed earlier this year that AI models from Microsoft and OpenAI had been used as part of an Israeli military program to select bombing targets during the recent wars in Gaza and Lebanon. The story also contained details of an errant Israeli airstrike in 2023 that struck a vehicle carrying members of a Lebanese family, killing three young girls and their grandmother. In February, five Microsoft employees were ejected from a meeting with CEO Satya Nadella for protesting the contracts. While the February event was an internal meeting, Friday's protest was far more public -- a livestreamed showcase of the company's past and future. "We provide many avenues for all voices to be heard," said a statement from the company Friday. "Importantly, we ask that this be done in a way that does not cause a business disruption. If that happens, we ask participants to relocate. We are committed to ensuring our business practices uphold the highest standards." Microsoft declined to say whether it would take further action.

Microsoft AI CEO's remarks interrupted by pro-Palestinian protester

(Reuters) - Microsoft AI CEO Mustafa Suleyman's remarks were interrupted by a pro-Palestinian protesting employee during the technology company's 50th anniversary celebration on Friday over the firm's ties with Israel. "You are a war profiteer. Stop using AI for genocide," Microsoft employee Ibtihal Aboussad said at the event in Redmond, Washington, while interrupting Suleyman who was talking about the company's artificial intelligence assistant product. Suleyman responded by saying: "I hear your protest, thank you." The protesting employee was then escorted away. An investigation by The Associated Press revealed earlier this year that AI models from Microsoft and OpenAI were used as part of an Israeli military program to select bombing targets during its wars in Gaza and Lebanon. Various other firms and educational institutions have also faced protests over their ties with Israel as the humanitarian crisis in Gaza from Israel's military assault has mounted. The latest bloodshed in the decades-old Israeli-Palestinian conflict was triggered in October 2023, when Palestinian Islamist group Hamas attacked Israel, killing 1,200 and taking about 250 hostages, according to Israeli tallies. Israel's subsequent assault on Hamas-governed Gaza has killed over 50,000 Palestinians, according to Gazan health officials, while also triggering accusations of genocide and war crimes that Israel denies. The assault has internally displaced nearly Gaza's entire 2.3 million population and caused a hunger crisis. The Verge tech news website quoted an email that Aboussad, the protesting employee, sent to other Microsoft employees justifying her protest. Microsoft said it provided many avenues for all voices to be heard in a way that does not cause business interruption. Aboussad was cited by AP to be saying that she and another protesting employee lost access to their work accounts after the protest. (Reporting by Kanishka Singh in Washington and Jeffrey Dastin in Redmond; Editing by Stephen Coates)

Microsoft workers say they've been fired after 50th anniversary protest over Israel contract

has fired two employees who interrupted the company's 50th anniversary celebration to protest its work supplying artificial intelligence technology to the Israeli military, according to a group representing the workers. didn't immediately respond to a request for comment Monday. The protests began Friday when software engineer Ibtihal Aboussad walked up to a stage where an executive was announcing new product features and a long-term vision for 's AI ambitions. "Thank you for your protest, I hear you," Suleyman said. Aboussad continued, shouting that Suleyman and "all of Microsoft" had blood on their hands. She also threw onto the stage a keffiyeh scarf, which has become a symbol of support for Palestinian people, before being escorted out of the event. A second protester, employee Vaniya Agrawal, interrupted a later part of the event. Aboussad was invited on Monday to a video call with a human resources representative at which she was told she was being terminated immediately. Agrawal was notified over email, according to the advocacy group No Azure for Apartheid, which has protested the sale of 's Azure cloud computing platform to . An investigation by revealed earlier this year that AI models from and OpenAI had been used as part of an Israeli military program to select bombing targets during the recent wars in and . The story also contained details of an errant Israeli airstrike in 2023 that struck a vehicle carrying members of a Lebanese family, killing three young girls and their grandmother. In February, five employees were ejected from a meeting with CEO for protesting the contracts. "We provide many avenues for all voices to be heard," said a statement from the company Friday. "Importantly, we ask that this be done in a way that does not cause a business disruption. If that happens, we ask participants to relocate. We are committed to ensuring our business practices uphold the highest standards." had declined to say Friday whether it was taking further action. Aboussad told the AP she lost access to her work accounts shortly after the protest and had not been able to log back in. Dozens of Google workers were fired last year after internal protests surrounding a contract that the technology company has with the Israeli government. Employee sit-ins at Google offices in and were targeting a deal known as Project Nimbus providing AI technology to the Israeli government. The Google workers later filed a complaint with the in an attempt to get their jobs back. Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. , source

Microsoft workers say they've been fired after 50th anniversary protest over Israel contract

AP - Microsoft has fired two employees who interrupted the company's 50th anniversary celebration to protest its work supplying artificial intelligence technology to the Israeli military, according to a group representing the workers. Microsoft accused one of the workers in a termination letter Monday of misconduct "designed to gain notoriety and cause maximum disruption to this highly anticipated event." Microsoft says the other worker had already announced her resignation, but on Monday it ordered her to leave five days early. The protests began Friday when Microsoft software engineer Ibtihal Aboussad walked up toward a stage where an executive was announcing new product features and a long-term vision for Microsoft's AI ambitions. "You claim that you care about using AI for good but Microsoft sells AI weapons to the Israeli military," Aboussad shouted at Microsoft AI CEO Mustafa Suleyman. "Fifty-thousand people have died and Microsoft powers this genocide in our region." The protest forced Suleyman to pause his talk while it was being livestreamed from Microsoft's campus in Redmond, Washington. Among the participants at the 50th anniversary of Microsoft's founding were co-founder Bill Gates and former CEO Steve Ballmer. Microsoft said Suleyman calmly tried to de-escalate the situation. "Thank you for your protest, I hear you," he said. Aboussad continued, shouting that Suleyman and "all of Microsoft" had blood on their hands. She also threw onto the stage a keffiyeh scarf, which has become a symbol of support for Palestinian people, before being escorted out of the event. A second protester, Microsoft employee Vaniya Agrawal, interrupted a later part of the event. Aboussad, based at Microsoft's Canadian headquarters in Toronto, was invited on Monday to a call with a human resources representative at which she was told she was being fired immediately, according to the advocacy group No Azure for Apartheid, which has protested the sale of Microsoft's Azure cloud computing platform to Israel. An investigation by The Associated Press revealed earlier this year that AI models from Microsoft and OpenAI had been used as part of an Israeli military program to select bombing targets during the recent wars in Gaza and Lebanon. The story also contained details of an errant Israeli airstrike in 2023 that struck a vehicle carrying members of a Lebanese family, killing three young girls and their grandmother. In its termination letter, Microsoft told Aboussad she could have raised her concerns confidentially to a manager. Instead, it said she made "hostile, unprovoked, and highly inappropriate accusations" against Suleyman and the company and that her "conduct was so aggressive and disruptive that you had to be escorted out of the room by security." Agrawal had already given her two weeks notice and was preparing to leave the company on April 11, but on Monday a manager emailed that Microsoft "has decided to make your resignation immediately effective today." It was the most public but not the first protest over Microsoft's work with Israel. In February, five Microsoft employees were ejected from a meeting with CEO Satya Nadella for protesting the contracts. "We provide many avenues for all voices to be heard," said a statement from the company Friday. "Importantly, we ask that this be done in a way that does not cause a business disruption. If that happens, we ask participants to relocate. We are committed to ensuring our business practices uphold the highest standards." Microsoft had declined to say Friday whether it was taking further action, but Aboussad and Agrawal expected it was coming after both lost access to their work accounts shortly after the protest. Dozens of Google workers were fired last year after internal protests over a contract it also has with the Israeli government. Employee sit-ins at Google offices in New York and Sunnyvale, California targeted a USD1.2 billion deal known as Project Nimbus providing AI technology to the Israeli government.