A pro-Palestinian protest by Microsoft employees interrupted the company’s 50th anniversary celebration on Friday, underscoring escalating tensions regarding the tech giant’s collaboration with the Israeli military.
The demonstration took place during a live-streamed event at Microsoft’s headquarters, where the company’s AI chief Mustafa Suleyman was presenting updates on its AI assistant product, Copilot, to an audience that included Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates and former CEO Steve Ballmer.
The protest commenced when Ibtihal Aboussad, a Microsoft employee, disrupted Suleyman’s speech, accusing the company of complicity in the ongoing conflict in Gaza. “Mustafa, shame on you,” Aboussad exclaimed as she approached the stage. “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.”
Suleyman responded by acknowledging the protester’s concerns. “Thank you for your protest, I hear you,” he said. Aboussad continued her demonstration, asserting that Suleyman and the company had “blood on their hands.” She threw a keffiyeh scarf, a symbol of Palestinian solidarity, onto the stage before being escorted out of the event.
A second protester, Vaniya Agrawal, disrupted another segment of the celebration where Gates, Ballmer, and current CEO Satya Nadella were on stage.
The gathering marked the first public appearance of the three Microsoft leaders together since 2014. Agrawal echoed similar sentiments, criticizing Microsoft’s ties to the Israeli military’s use of AI in military operations.
Earlier this year, an investigation by The Associated Press revealed that AI models developed by Microsoft and OpenAI were being utilized by the Israeli military to select bombing targets during recent conflicts in Gaza and Lebanon. The report also detailed an Israeli airstrike in 2023 that mistakenly killed three young girls and their grandmother in Lebanon.
In February, five Microsoft employees were removed from a meeting with Nadella after protesting the company’s contracts with Israel. Friday’s protest, however, was significantly more public, as the anniversary event was livestreamed to a global audience. Some employees also gathered outside the event to rally against the company’s involvement in the military contracts.
Microsoft issued a statement following the protest, emphasizing its commitment to providing platforms for diverse voices while also requesting that protests be conducted in a manner that does not disrupt business operations. “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,” the company stated.
“If that happens, we ask participants to relocate. We are committed to ensuring our business practices uphold the highest standards.”
The company did not comment on whether any further action would be taken against the protesters. Aboussad and Agrawal, both of whom participated in the demonstration, reported that they lost access to their work accounts after the protest, raising questions about potential disciplinary measures, including termination. However, Microsoft has not confirmed if their accounts were revoked due to the protest.
This protest signifies a pivotal moment in the growing debate surrounding the role of technology companies in global conflicts, with employees within the tech industry increasingly vocalizing their opposition to corporate practices they deem morally and ethically problematic.
