"Shame on You!" Microsoft Employees Disrupt 50th Anniversary, Accuse Tech Giant of Powering Gaza Genocide

Microsoft's 50th-anniversary celebration erupted in protest as employees confronted executives over the company's alleged complicity in Israel's military operations in Gaza, where over 50,000 Palestinians have been killed since October 2023. 

The first disruption came during a keynote by Microsoft AI CEO Mustafa Suleyman. 

Ibtihal Aboussad, a software engineer on the company's AI speech recognition team, stormed the stage shouting: "You claim 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!" 

Aboussad threw a keffiyeh - the iconic Palestinian scarf - at Suleyman before being dragged away. Her protest referenced documented reports that Microsoft's AI technology, developed with OpenAI, has been used by the Israeli military to select bombing targets in Gaza and Lebanon. 

An investigation revealed this technology contributed to a deadly 2023 airstrike that killed three Lebanese children and their grandmother. 

Minutes later, engineer Vaniya Agrawal interrupted a panel with Bill Gates, Steve Ballmer and Satya Nadella: "Shame on all of you for celebrating on Palestinian blood! Cut ties with Israel!" 

Agrawal later resigned, declaring in a blistering email, stating: “Microsoft cloud and AI enable the Israeli military to be more lethal and destructive in Gaza. It is undeniable that Microsoft’s Azure cloud offerings and AI developments form the technological backbone of Israel’s automated apartheid and genocide systems.” 

“I’ve seen unspeakable suffering amidst Israel’s mass human rights violations - indiscriminate carpet bombings, the targeting of hospitals and schools, and the continuation of an apartheid state,” she added, “Meanwhile, our labor powers this genocide, and I cannot, in good conscience, be part of a company that participates in this violent injustice.” 

Microsoft's hollow response—"We provide avenues for voices to be heard"—belied its actions: as both protesters were immediately locked out of their accounts. 

Microsoft’s claim is contrasted sharply with its actions. In 2024, for instance, Google terminated 28 workers involved in protests opposing Project Nimbus—a $1.2 billion cloud computing deal with the Israeli government. 

The demonstrations are part of a growing tech worker revolt. The group No Azure for Apartheid—an offshoot of No Tech for Apartheid—has mobilized 1,000 Microsoft employees demanding: 

The group has three core demands: full disclosure of Microsoft's ties to the Israeli military, an independent audit of whether company technology has facilitated war crimes, and immediate leadership endorsement of a ceasefire in Gaza. 

The movement gained momentum when the BDS campaign launched a global Xbox boycott, urging cancellations of GamePass subscriptions and Microsoft gaming hardware purchases. No Azure for Apartheid called this "consumer pressure matching our employee resistance." 

As Gaza's death toll reaches 50,423 amid Israel's carpet bombing campaign—triggered by Hamas' October 7 attack that killed 1,200 Israelis—the protests expose Silicon Valley's hypocrisy. 

While Microsoft showcases "ethical AI," Aboussad's accusation lingers: "All of Microsoft has blood on its hands."