Two Microsoft engineers were terminated after interrupting the company’s 50th anniversary celebration to protest its reported support of the Israeli military in Gaza, igniting fresh controversy around corporate responsibility and employee activism in the tech industry.
Ibtihal Aboussad, a software engineer, interrupted a keynote speech by Microsoft AI CEO Mustafa Suleyman last Friday, accusing the company of enabling violence through its technologies. “How dare you celebrate when Microsoft is killing children,” Aboussad shouted, before being escorted out and later terminated.
Vaniya Agrawal, another engineer, also disrupted a Q&A panel featuring Microsoft founders and executives Bill Gates, Satya Nadella, and Steve Ballmer, yelling:
“Fifty thousand Palestinians in Gaza have been murdered with Microsoft technology. How dare you? Shame on all of you for celebrating on their blood.”
Agrawal, who had previously submitted a letter of resignation, was informed Monday that her resignation was accepted effective immediately.
The protest stems from growing internal dissent over a January Associated Press report that Microsoft’s commercial AI tools are being used by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) amid the ongoing conflict in Gaza.
In response to Aboussad’s protest, Suleyman briefly paused and said, “I hear you, thank you for your protest.”
The activist group No Azure for Apartheid, which includes current and former Microsoft employees, confirmed both dismissals and called the workers “brave,” urging other tech workers to demand divestment from what they describe as systems of apartheid and genocide.
“You can choose to be on the right side of history and be brave like Ibtihal Aboussad and Vaniya Agrawal,” the group stated in a press release. “Or, you can be silent while raking in your stock awards on the blood of Palestinian children.”
Microsoft has not yet issued an official statement regarding the dismissals.
The incident comes amid increasing pressure on tech companies to examine how their products are used by governments, especially in conflict zones. The broader No Tech for Apartheid movement continues to push for transparency and ethical considerations in AI and defense contracts.
