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In a dramatic turn during its 50th anniversary celebration, Microsoft Corporation has terminated two software engineers who interrupted the high-profile event to protest the company’s ties with the Israeli government.
The protest occurred on Friday at Microsoft’s headquarters in Redmond, Washington, during a celebratory event held in a large tent set up on the company’s athletic field. The employees Ibtihal Aboussad and Vaniya Agrawal disrupted separate sessions featuring top Microsoft executives and company founders.
“Shame on you”
Aboussad, a known critic of Microsoft’s dealings with the Israeli military, interrupted a keynote speech by Mustafa Suleyman, Microsoft’s consumer AI chief. “Mustafa, shame on you,” 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.” Suleyman calmly responded, “Thank you for your protest. I hear you.”
Later, Agrawal disrupted a Q&A session featuring CEO Satya Nadella alongside former CEOs Bill Gates and Steve Ballmer.
Both protestors are affiliated with No Azure for Apartheid, a group opposing Microsoft’s cloud service contracts with the Israeli government amid the ongoing war in Gaza.
Microsoft confirmed the terminations through internal communications reviewed by Bloomberg. Aboussad was dismissed for what the company described as “acts of misconduct” and “hostile, unprovoked and highly inappropriate” behavior. Agrawal had previously announced her resignation effective April 11, but the company accelerated her exit, making it immediate.
Following the protest, both employees lost access to their corporate accounts. Microsoft has not issued a public statement regarding the incident as of now.
The protests spotlight growing employee activism in the tech industry, particularly around the ethical use of artificial intelligence and corporate partnerships in conflict zones. As tensions over the Gaza conflict continue to rise, tech giants like Microsoft are facing increasing internal and external pressure to reevaluate their global contracts.
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