Microsoft employees disrupt 50th anniversary event over AI-assisted Gaza genocide
Microsoft employees disrupt 50th anniversary event over AI-assisted Gaza genocide
M.U.H
06/04/202536
Microsoft employees staged a protest during the company’s 50th-anniversary event, expressing their opposition to the use of the tech giant's artificial intelligence technology by the Israeli regime in its genocidal war against Gaza.
On Friday, during the event attended by prominent figures such as co-founder Bill Gates and former CEO Steve Ballmer, pro-Palestinian activists interrupted a presentation by Microsoft AI CEO Mustafa Suleyman while he was unveiling product updates and the long-term vision for Microsoft's AI assistant product, Copilot.
“Mustafa, shame on you,” shouted Microsoft employee Ibtihal Aboussad as she walked towards the stage, making Sulayman pause his speech.
“You are a war profiteer. Stop using AI for genocide,” she added.
“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 responded.
Aboussad continued, shouting that Suleyman and “all of Microsoft” had blood on their hands. She then threw a keffiyeh scarf onto the stage before being escorted out of the event.
Microsoft has faced increasing criticism over its contracts with the Israeli military, as reports indicated that the company’s AI models were employed to select bombing targets in Gaza, resulting in the loss of thousands of lives.
Later on, a second Microsoft employee, Vaniya Agrawal, interrupted the celebration in Redmond, Washington, 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.
Some employees also rallied outside the event.
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 fired.
In February, five Microsoft employees were ejected from a meeting with Nadella for protesting against Microsoft's complicity in the ongoing genocide in Gaza.
The Friday celebration was far more public as opposed to the February event, which was an internal meeting showcasing a live-streamed image of the company’s past and future.
Microsoft is not the only organization that has faced protests over its ties with Israel. Last April, Google fired 28 employees following protests against the company’s cloud-computing contract with Israel.
