Two Microsoft employees were fired for protests condemning the company’s support for Israel at a 50th anniversary event last week.
Microsoft AI CEO Mustafa Suleyman was interrupted by shouts from software engineer Ibtihal Aboussad during his speech at the Friday celebration while Vaniya Agrawal, another engineer, interjected during a question-and-answer session with Microsoft founder Bill Gates, CEO Satya Nadella and former CEO Steve Ballmer.
Earlier this year, the Associated Press reported that the company’s commercial artificial intelligence (AI) is being used by the Israel Defense Force in Gaza.
“How dare you celebrate when Microsoft is killing children,” Aboussad yelled as she approached Suleyman on stage.
She was quickly escorted out of the space by event staff and was later terminated according to the group No Azure for Apartheid, which consists of past and present Microsoft employees.
The company did not immediately respond to The Hill’s request for comment on the matter.
In response to Aboussad’s disruption, Suleyman said “I hear you, thank you for your protest.”
Agrawal’s shouts directed at Gates, Ballmer and Nadella were later met with boos from the crowd of attendees.
“Fifty thousand Palestinians in Gaza have been murdered with Microsoft technology. How dare you? Shame on all of you for celebrating on their blood,” she screamed.
Prior to the demonstration, Agrawal submitted a letter of resignation for a later date but was told Monday the company accepted her resignation effective immediately according to an email reviewed by Bloomberg.
No Azure for Apartheid described both of the dismissed workers as “brave” in a Tuesday statement.
“You can choose to speak up and organize; you can choose to reject abetment in genocide; you can choose to be on the right side of history and be brave like Ibtihal Aboussad and Vaniya Agrawal. Or, you can be silent while raking in your stock awards on the blood of Palestinian children. The choice is yours,” the group wrote.
“To all workers: we call on you to demand your workplaces divest from apartheid and genocide. As part of the larger No Tech for Apartheid movement, we especially call on tech workers — no matter what role — to refuse to have your labor power apartheid and genocide,” they added.
By Ashleigh Fields | The Hill
