Microsoft has fired two of its software engineers, Ibtihal Aboussad and Vaniya Agrawal, following their protest against the company’s work with the Israeli military during its 50th anniversary celebrations. The terminations came after the employees disrupted events at the company’s Redmond, Washington headquarters.
Aboussad, who worked in Microsoft’s artificial intelligence division, interrupted AI CEO Mustafa Suleyman during his speech, shouting, “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.” She continued, “You have blood on your hands. All of Microsoft has blood on its hands.”
The employee group No Azure for Apartheid, which advocates for ending Microsoft’s Azure contracts and partnerships with the Israeli military and government, commented on the terminations. They stated that both engineers were “officially fired by Microsoft over call for disrupting the shameful Microsoft 50th anniversary.”
Agrawal also disrupted the event by shouting over speakers featuring Bill Gates, former CEO Steve Ballmer, and current CEO Satya Nadella. Her statement included, “Shame on you all. You’re all hypocrites. Fifty thousand Palestinians in Gaza have been murdered with Microsoft technology. How dare you. Shame on all of you for celebrating in their blood. Cut ties with Israel.”
Aboussad was fired for “just cause, wilful misconduct, disobedience or willful neglect of duty,” according to termination documents. Agrawal had initially resigned but was subsequently terminated by Microsoft, with the company making her resignation “immediately effective.”
The protests by the engineers highlight growing tensions within major tech companies regarding their involvement in military conflicts and human rights issues. Both employees had expressed concerns about Microsoft’s role in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the company’s silence on issues affecting Arab, Palestinian, and Muslim employees within the organization.
Microsoft’s Response
A Microsoft spokesperson described the situation as Aboussad being “let go” and Agrawal resigning, though the company later made her resignation effective immediately. The spokesperson declined to comment further.
