Microsoft staff perform sit-in protest in company president's office over Israeli military ties

"There are galore things we can't bash to alteration the world," says Microsoft's Brad Smith

Image credit: Microsoft

A radical of existent and erstwhile Microsoft employees person staged a sit-in protestation successful the bureau of institution president Brad Smith implicit the usage of Azure and generative AI technologies by the Israeli subject during their on-going bombardment of Palestinians successful the West Bank and Gaza.

As reported by The Verge, the protestors belonged to the No Azure for Apartheid activistic group, which continues to petition Microsoft to terminate each of their contracts with the Israeli authorities and military. Microsoft president Brad Smith claimed successful a consequent property briefing that the radical of protestors consisted of 7 people, with 2 being existent Microsoft staff, and were removed from the bureau by Redmond police.

No Azure for Apartheid organizer and erstwhile Microsoft worker Abdo Mohamed confirmed to The Verge that Microsoft staffers Riki Fameli and Anna Hattle were portion of the protest, alongside erstwhile unit Vaniya Agrawal, Hossam Nasr, and Joe Lopez.

Following the protest, Smith staged a property briefing successful his office, declaring that Microsoft are "committed to ensuring [their] quality rights principles and contractual presumption of work are upheld successful the Middle East." "When 7 folks bash arsenic they did today, tempest a building, inhabit an office, fastener different radical retired of the office, works listening devices — adjacent successful crude form, successful the signifier of telephones, cellphones hidden nether couches and down books — that’s not ok. When they’re asked to permission and they refused, that’s not ok," the exec said. Smith complaining astir the planting of listening devices seems alternatively ironic, fixed that Microsoft basal accused of collaborating with Israeli subject efforts to support Palestinians nether surveillance.

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When asked whether the 2 existent Microsoft workers who were portion of the sit-in, which was livestreamed connected Twitch, volition look immoderate interior disciplinary measures for doing so, Smith said the following:

We'll instrumentality a look. I deliberation 1 oregon 2 of them whitethorn person besides been arrested past week. So, if somebody's been arrested twice, that's a concern that is not modular worker behaviour I deliberation it's just to say. I don't deliberation it would beryllium regarded arsenic modular worker behaviour by immoderate of the places wherever you [gestures to media present] work, [or] frankly immoderate of the places wherever anybody works.

Earlier successful the briefing, Smith addressed The Guardian's caller study astir Microsoft's Azure unreality level being utilized successful the surveillance of Palestinians by Israel, saying that Microsoft are investigating the report's allegations. "We are moving each time to get to the bottommost of what’s going on, and we will," helium said.

He besides touched connected Microsoft having contacted the FBI successful April this year, with Bloomberg (paywalled) reporting that the institution had asked the assemblage to supply accusation connected pro-Palestinian protests that mightiness people Microsoft. The exec said he'd archetypal heard astir this past week, and subsequently cited "one of our information folks" arsenic having sent the email to the "local FBI office", claiming that it was a much wide enquiry astir "disruptions" the FBI could spot perchance being planned successful the Seattle area.

This latest protestation comes arsenic groups similar the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions question proceed to telephone for radical to boycott Microsoft and Xbox products implicit the company's narration with the Israeli miliary, with unionised unit astatine Dishonored developers Arkane Studios precocious having voiced their enactment for some the BDS boycott and No Azure for Apartheid's efforts.