Five Microsoft employees were removed from a meeting with CEO Satya Nadella after protesting the company’s contracts to provide artificial intelligence and cloud computing services to the Israeli military.
The protest occurred on Monday following a report that revealed Microsoft and OpenAI’s AI models were used in an Israeli military program to select bombing targets during recent conflicts in Gaza and Lebanon. The report also highlighted an Israeli airstrike in 2023 that mistakenly targeted a vehicle, killing three young girls and their grandmother.
During a town hall meeting at Microsoft’s headquarters in Redmond, Washington, Nadella was discussing new products when the protesting employees, standing about 15 feet away from him, revealed T-shirts. Together, the shirts spelled out the question, “Does Our Code Kill Kids, Satya?”
Photos and video of the incident, which was streamed live to the entire company, show that Satya Nadella continued speaking without acknowledging the protesters. Two men quickly approached the workers, tapped them on the shoulder, and escorted them out of the room.
In response, Microsoft issued a statement saying, “We provide many avenues for all voices to be heard. Importantly, we ask that this be done in a way that does not disrupt business operations. If disruption occurs, we ask participants to relocate. We are committed to ensuring our business practices uphold the highest standards.”
Microsoft did not respond on Tuesday when asked if the employees involved in the protest would face any disciplinary action. The company also previously declined to comment on a report from February 18 regarding its contracts with the Israeli military.
In October, Microsoft terminated two employees for organizing an unauthorized lunchtime vigil for Palestinian refugees at its headquarters. At the time, Microsoft stated that the terminations were in line with internal policies but did not provide further details.
A group of Microsoft employees has been expressing concerns for months about the company providing services to the Israeli military through its Azure cloud computing platform. Some employees have also voiced support for Israel, stating that those who back Palestinians have made them feel unsafe.
An investigation revealed exclusive details from internal company data and documents, showing that the use of AI models by the Israeli military via Azure increased nearly 200 times following the October 7, 2023, attack by Hamas militants.
The report was shared and discussed among Microsoft employees on social media and within the company’s internal systems. In a forum created for employees to raise concerns with senior leadership, one employee posted links to the report. Over a dozen others expressed concerns about whether the company was violating its stated principles of defending human rights and ensuring its AI models are not used to harm people, according to screenshots reviewed.
Abdo Mohamed, a researcher and data scientist who was among the Microsoft employees fired for the October vigil, criticized the company for prioritizing profits over its human rights commitments.
“The demands are clear,” said Mohamed, a member of a group of Microsoft workers called No Azure for Apartheid. “Satya Nadella and Microsoft executives need to address their employees by ending contracts with the Israeli military.”
