© IE Online Media Services Pvt Ltd
Tags:
Journalism of Courage
At Microsoft’s 50th anniversary celebration on Friday, the mood shifted dramatically when a company employee disrupted the event to protest Microsoft’s involvement in Israel’s military operations in Gaza. The demonstration took place while Mustafa Suleyman, the CEO of Microsoft AI, was presenting updates on the company’s AI assistant, Copilot, at its headquarters.
Videos circulating online show Ibtihal Aboussad, a Microsoft employee, standing up during Suleyman’s speech and walking toward the stage. “Mustafa, shame on you,” she shouted, accusing Microsoft of aiding the Israeli military with AI-powered technologies. “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,” she declared. Before being escorted out, she threw a keffiyeh scarf onto the stage, a widely recognised symbol of Palestinian solidarity.
Suleyman responded by saying, “Thank you for your protest, I hear you,” while Aboussad continued to accuse him and the company of having “blood on their hands”.
Later, a second protest interrupted another part of the event — this time during a rare onstage appearance featuring Microsoft’s three current and former CEOs: Bill Gates, Steve Ballmer, and Satya Nadella. Vaniya Agrawal, another employee, voiced similar concerns about Microsoft’s role in military applications of AI.
This public disruption came months after an Associated Press investigation revealed that AI tools developed by Microsoft and OpenAI were used by the Israeli military in target selection during operations in Gaza and Lebanon. One tragic example cited involved a misfire that killed three young girls and their grandmother in Lebanon in 2023.
Earlier this year, five Microsoft employees were removed from a meeting with Nadella after protesting the company’s military contracts — though that demonstration was kept internal. In contrast, Friday’s protest played out live for the world to see.
In a statement, Microsoft said it encourages employees to express their views but expects them to avoid disrupting business. “We provide many avenues for all voices to be heard… Importantly, we ask that this be done in a way that does not cause a business disruption.”
While the company has not publicly addressed whether disciplinary action will follow, Aboussad told the AP that she and Agrawal have since lost access to their work accounts and are currently locked out — a possible sign that their employment may be in jeopardy.
