Internal tensions at Microsoft surrounding its technology contracts with the Israeli military boiled over publicly as employees disrupted high-profile company events, resulting in dismissals and drawing attention to the use of AI and cloud services in the Gaza conflict. Protesters allege the company is complicit in enabling actions leading to extensive Palestinian casualties through its Project Azure platform and associated AI tools, directly challenging Microsoft’s stated ethical commitments as it celebrated its 50th anniversary.
Pattern Of Dissent And Dismissal
The most visible confrontations occurred during anniversary events on April 4, 2025. Software engineer Ibtihal Aboussad, who worked on Microsoft’s AI audio transcription team, interrupted AI CEO Mustafa Suleyman’s presentation. Aboussad raised alarms that her work might aid Israeli military surveillance by recording and translating Palestinian voices before potential airstrikes.
She stated directly to Suleyman: “you claim that you care about using AI for good, but Microsoft sells AI weapons to the Israeli military. 50,000 people have died, and Microsoft [is facilitating] this genocide in our region.” Suleyman acknowledged her protest, saying, “thank you for your protest. i hear you.”
Separately, engineer Vaniya Agrawal confronted a panel including founder Bill Gates and CEO Satya Nadella, shouting, “you’re all hypocrites… how dare you all celebrate on their blood?” and invoking the “No Azure for apartheid” employee campaign. Agrawal later added, “We wanted everyone to know that Microsoft’s cloud and AI are the bombs and bullets of the 21st century.”
Both engineers were terminated by April 7. Microsoft’s letter to Aboussad, as reported by AP, cited “willful misconduct, disobedience, or willful neglect of duty” and accused her of actions “designed to gain notoriety and cause maximum disruption…” Agrawal, who had already submitted her resignation effective April 11, had her departure expedited by the company.
These April disruptions represented an escalation, not isolated incidents. They followed an October 24, 2024, lunchtime vigil for Palestinian victims at the Redmond campus, co-organized by software engineer Hossam Nasr and data scientist Abdo Mohamed, which led to their subsequent dismissal. Nasr later described the internal climate to The Guardian as “very close to a tipping point.” At a company town hall on February 24, 2025, five employees were removed after briefly protesting with shirts asking, “Does Our Code Kill Kids, Satya?”
Concerns Over Azure And AI Use Intensify
Employee concerns gained traction following reporting in late 2024 and early 2025, based partly on leaked documents, suggesting a tech “gold rush” to service the Israeli military after October 7, 2023. Israel reportedly spent $10 million on Microsoft engineering support between October 2023 and June 2024, with engineers allegedly embedded with intelligence units like Unit 8200 and Unit 81. Military use of Microsoft and OpenAI AI tools reportedly spiked nearly 200 times post-October 7, with Azure machine learning tool consumption increasing 64-fold by March 2024.
Reports, including one from AP News in February 2025, detailed the alleged use of AI systems like “Lavender” and “Where’s Daddy?” for targeting in Gaza, and claims that the Israeli Air Force uses Microsoft tech to build “kill lists.”
Azure, Microsoft’s comprehensive cloud suite providing storage, computation, and AI capabilities, is central. The platform also hosts tools like Elbit Systems’ “OneSim” military simulation software used by the IDF. Aboussad expressed a sense of betrayal in an interview: “for Microsoft, we just felt as employees that we were tricked, right? we did not sign up to work on code that directly powers war crimes… what I was describing about these tools being used for surveillance and targeting is definitely not something I signed up for.”
Internal Channels Stifled, Resistance Organizes
Attempts to address these issues through internal channels reportedly faced roadblocks. Discussions on Microsoft’s Viva Engage platform became contentious, with claims of censorship against posts critical of Israeli military actions and a perceived double standard.
Posting in the main “All Company” channel was blocked on November 16, 2023. Agrawal described the internal response: “folks have been asking questions… but their questions get deleted. they are suppressed, silenced, intimidated, and often workers are also retaliated against.” An invited talk by Palestinian journalist Ahmed Shihab-Eldin in November 2023 was cancelled after internal complaints.
Frustration fueled the “No Azure for Apartheid” campaign, formed mid-2024. Their specific demands include terminating Azure contracts with the Israeli military/government, full public disclosure of ties, an independent audit, a company call for a ceasefire, protection for employee speech, and the rehiring of Nasr and Mohamed with an apology and HR investigation into potential privacy violations.
Their activism supported the BDS movement designating Microsoft a “priority boycott target” on April 3, 2025. Some, like Angela Yu, resigned. In her December 4, 2024 email, Yu wrote, “It hurts my conscience to know that the products you and I work on are enabling the Israeli military to accelerate its project of ethnic cleansing,” referencing Microsoft’s 1986 withdrawal from apartheid South Africa.
Tech Giants Face Scrutiny Over Military Contracts
The situation at Microsoft reflects broader industry trends and activism. At Google, 28 employees were fired in April 2024 following sit-ins by the “No Tech For Apartheid” group protesting Project Nimbus, a $1.2 billion Israeli cloud contract Google shares with Amazon; nine protesters were arrested.
Microsoft, despite losing the main Nimbus bid, maintains deep Israeli ties, including hosting the “Al Munaseq” permit app used by Israel’s Civil Administration, which raises data privacy concerns. The company’s history includes major software deals with the Israeli government dating back decades, and it opened its first Israeli Cloud Datacenter Region in November 2023.
Microsoft stated after the April disruptions, ‘we provide many avenues for all voices to be heard…’ but ‘ask that this be done in a way that does not cause a business disruption…’ The challenge for dissenting tech workers persists, balancing ethical concerns with potential career risks amidst a complex geopolitical and industry landscape, where figures like Palantir’s CEO Alex Karp have called for more openness about military ties.
