The event, which was organized for the 50th anniversary of Microsoft’s establishment, was divided by an unexpected protest at an unexpected moment. Microsoft employee Ibihal Aboussad, who appeared on the stage, accused the company’s artificial intelligence technologies of using “genocide” by addressing Microsoft AI CEO Mustafa Suleyman directly. Aboussad concluded his words by saying, “Your hands are in blood”. The employee, who was removed from the hall by security guards, then sent a detailed message to the e-mail lists of thousands of people explaining the reason for the incident.
The e-mail contained striking claims about Microsoft’s technological cooperation with the Israeli government. Aboussad said that Microsoft has been working as a software engineer for 3.5 years in the AI platform department and later learned that the developed technologies were used in military operations against the Palestinian people. He stated that this situation has created a serious conscientious crisis in itself. In particular, the Arab, Muslim and Palestinian employees within the company were left under pressure, tried to silence, and some employees were dismissed only because they organized a commemoration activity.
Microsoft’s military technology connections increased employees’ reaction
Microsoft was brought to the agenda with various sources that the Israeli Ministry of Defense had a $ 133 million contract. According to Aboussad’s allegations, Microsoft Azure infrastructure is actively used to support Israel’s surveillance systems. Collected voice talks, correspondence and digital communication are analyzed through artificial intelligence technologies and integrated into military targeting systems. In this context, Microsoft’s technologies are not only commercial but also the digital backbone of military operations.
In addition, another protest was experienced in the event. Together with Satya Nadella, the current CEO of Microsoft, the former CEOs Steve Ballmer and Bill Gates were on the stage, and Vaniya Agrawal, another employee, stood up and made similar accusations. Agrawal argued that Microsoft’s technologies play a direct role in the process of the death of thousands of civilians in Gaza. Although some participants in the hall reacted to this exit, the Agrawal continued to express its reaction clearly.
Agrawal, like Aboussad, released an e-mail addressed to employees after his protest. In his message, he said he would leave his post on 11 April at Microsoft and stressed that he had taken this decision on ethical reasons. He said that Microsoft had moved away from the claim of “strengthening people ve and turned into a technology manufacturer that serves directly military-industrial systems. In the text he wrote, he made it clear that the company thought that it contributes to human rights violations in Gaza.
Agrawal argued that Microsoft’s artificial intelligence and cloud informatics infrastructures were used in highly sensitive military projects such as targeting algorithms of the Israeli army, population databases and surveillance systems. He argued that all these activities support processes defined as “genocide ınla by international organizations such as the United Nations and the International Criminal Court. Noting the responsibility of Microsoft in this framework, Agrawal said that if the employees remain silent, they will be partners in this crime. In any case, he said that he should raise his voice.
Both employees demanded that Microsoft cut off their relations with the apartheid regime in South Africa in the 1980s and take steps similar to the investment from Anyvision’s face recognition technology company. These requests are also supported by the employee initiative called “No Azure for Apartheid .. The group wants Microsoft to terminate all business relations with Israel and end the use of company technologies for military purposes. The initiative also launched a campaign that emphasizes that software engineers do not want to write “killing codes ..
Microsoft administration did not make any official statement about the protests. During the event, Gates said that he only said “Well ve in response to the protests and to pass the issue. This attitude led to various criticisms in the world of social media and technology. The content of the event was planned to introduce Microsoft’s new copilot features and artificial intelligence products.
As a result, these protests, initiated by Microsoft employees, are considered as an important turning point in terms of the ethical responsibilities of major technology companies and their contribution to war technologies. Both protesters argue that institutional silence will mean a partnership with crime as the company’s current policies continue. They call on other employees within the company to raise their voices. How Microsoft responds to these criticisms will be carefully monitored in the coming period.