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Microsoft’s 50th anniversary celebration was disrupted on Friday as company employees staged a pro-Palestinian protest, accusing the tech giant of supporting the Israeli military through its artificial intelligence (AI) technology.
The protest occurred during a keynote speech by Microsoft AI CEO Mustafa Suleyman, in the presence of top company figures including co-founder Bill Gates, former CEO Steve Ballmer, and current CEO Satya Nadella.
A Microsoft employee, identified as Ibtihal Aboussad, interrupted Suleyman’s presentation, accusing the company of enabling genocide in Gaza.
“You claim that you care about using AI for good, but Microsoft sells AI weapons to the Israeli military,” she shouted. “Fifty-thousand people have died and Microsoft powers this genocide in our region. Stop using AI for genocide.”
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Videos from the event show Aboussad walking toward the stage, shouting “Shame on you,” before being escorted out. She also threw a keffiyeh, a traditional Palestinian scarf and symbol of solidarity, onto the stage.
someone suddenly started shouting during Mustafa Suleyman’s speech at Microsoft’s 50th Anniversary Copilot live event, where Bill Gates and Steve Ballmer were also in the audience. pic.twitter.com/9M0ebtpoNZ
— G (@beforeagi) April 4, 2025
Another employee, Vaniya Agrawal, interrupted a later segment of the event, where Gates, Ballmer, and Nadella appeared together on stage for the first time since 2014.
The incident follows an investigation by the Associated Press, which revealed that AI models developed by Microsoft and OpenAI were used by the Israeli military to help select bombing targets in Gaza and Lebanon. One reported strike mistakenly killed a Lebanese family, including three young girls and their grandmother, in 2023.
Earlier this year, five Microsoft employees were removed from a private meeting with Nadella after staging an internal protest over similar concerns.
Microsoft AI CEO Mustafa Suleyman was interrupted during a presentation by a protestor slamming Microsoft for AI tools used by military forces involved in the war in Gaza. https://t.co/Um7pP1rbDm pic.twitter.com/u6pfYMArxz
— Variety (@Variety) April 4, 2025
In a statement, Microsoft said:
“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. If that happens, we ask participants to relocate. We are committed to ensuring our business practices uphold the highest standards.”
Microsoft did not comment on whether disciplinary action would be taken. However, Aboussad told AP that both she and Agrawal lost access to their work accounts following the protest, suggesting potential termination.
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