Microsoft fires employees protesting AI technology contracts with Israel

Microsoft has dismissed two employees who interrupted the company's 50th anniversary event to protest its provision of artificial intelligence technology to the Israeli military, according to a workers' advocacy group.

In a termination letter issued on Monday, Microsoft accused one of the employees of engaging in misconduct "intended to gain attention and create maximum disruption" at the highly anticipated event. The other employee had previously announced her resignation but was instructed to leave five days earlier than planned on Monday.

The protest began on Friday when Microsoft software engineer Ibtihal Aboussad approached the stage where an executive was discussing new product features and Microsoft's long-term AI vision. Aboussad shouted, "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," forcing the executive, Mustafa Suleyman, to pause his talk during the livestreamed event from Microsoft's Redmond, Washington campus. The event was attended by co-founder Bill Gates and former CEO Steve Ballmer.

Microsoft said Suleyman attempted to calm the situation, thanking Aboussad for her protest and acknowledging her message. However, Aboussad continued shouting that Suleyman and "all of Microsoft" had blood on their hands. She also threw a keffiyeh scarf, a symbol of support for Palestinians, onto the stage before being escorted out.

A second protester, Vaniya Agrawal, interrupted the event later. Aboussad, who is based at Microsoft's Canadian headquarters in Toronto, was invited to a meeting on Monday with a human resources representative, during which she was informed of her immediate termination, according to the advocacy group No Azure for Apartheid, which has protested Microsoft's Azure cloud services being used by Israel.

Earlier this year, an Associated Press investigation revealed that AI models from Microsoft and OpenAI were used in an Israeli military program to select bombing targets during recent conflicts in Gaza and Lebanon. The report also highlighted a 2023 Israeli airstrike that mistakenly hit a vehicle carrying members of a Lebanese family, killing three young girls and their grandmother.

Microsoft's termination letter to Aboussad stated that she could have raised her concerns privately with a manager but instead made "hostile, unprovoked, and highly inappropriate accusations" against Suleyman and the company. The letter also mentioned that her actions were so disruptive that security had to escort her out.

Agrawal had already submitted her resignation, scheduled for April 11, but on Monday, a manager informed her that her resignation would be effective immediately.

This protest was the most public, but not the first, against Microsoft's work with Israel. In February, five Microsoft employees were removed from a meeting with CEO Satya Nadella for protesting the company's contracts.

Microsoft issued a statement on Friday, saying, "We provide many avenues for all voices to be heard," but emphasized that protests should not disrupt business. The company also reiterated its commitment to maintaining high standards in its business practices.

While Microsoft had not commented on additional actions following the protest, both Aboussad and Agrawal noted that they lost access to their work accounts shortly after the incident.

Last year, dozens of Google employees were fired after internal protests regarding a contract with the Israeli government. Employees at Google offices in New York and Sunnyvale, California, had protested the $1.2 billion Project Nimbus, a deal providing AI technology to Israel. The Google workers later filed a complaint with the National Labor Relations Board to try to regain their jobs.