Brian Eno Calls on Microsoft to End Military Tech Deals
Renowned artist Brian Eno has published an open letter to Microsoft, urging the company to suspend its technology partnerships with the Israeli military. Eno, known for composing the startup chime for Microsoft’s Windows 95 operating system, addressed the company not as a composer but as ‘a citizen alarmed by the role Microsoft is playing in a very different kind of composition: one that leads to surveillance, violence, and destruction in Palestine.’
The letter, shared on May 20th, responds to Microsoft’s May 15th statement confirming that Israel’s Ministry of Defence uses Azure AI software and cloud services for intelligence work, including the translation and processing of data gathered through mass surveillance. While Microsoft claimed not to track customer use of its software, Eno argued that the company should halt these services, stating, ‘If you knowingly build systems that can enable war crimes, you inevitably become complicit in those crimes.’
Eno also expressed support for Microsoft employees who have protested the company’s practices and pledged to donate his original fee for composing the Windows 95 chime to aid victims in Gaza. He concluded, ‘We now live in an age where corporations like Microsoft often command more influence than governments. I believe that with such power comes an absolute ethical responsibility.’
This isn’t Eno’s first stance against Israel’s policies; he has supported the Boycott, Divest, Sanction (BDS) movement since 2014. Recently, he joined over 200 artists in calling on London festival Field Day to address its ties to private-equity firm KKR.
Eno’s call to action highlights the growing concern among artists and tech employees about the ethical implications of their work and the companies they collaborate with. The issue raises questions about corporate responsibility in the tech industry and the potential consequences of their partnerships with military organizations.
