Doha, MINA – Ibtihal Aboussad, a former AI engineer at Microsoft, called for a worldwide boycott of all Microsoft products in protest of the company’s alleged role in enabling Israel’s military aggression in Gaza.
In a now-viral video shared across social media and reported by Morocco World News on Saturday, Aboussad urged people to stop using products like Xbox, Copilot, and even Candy Crush, accusing Microsoft of supporting what she described as a genocide.
“I can no longer stay silent. We will not financially support you, and we will not use your products until you adopt humane principles,” said Aboussad, a Harvard-educated engineer of Moroccan descent.
Her protest gained global attention after she publicly interrupted Microsoft AI CEO Mustafa Suleyman’s keynote speech during the company’s 50th anniversary event in Redmond, Washington, on April 4, 2025. The event was attended by major figures including Bill Gates and former CEO Steve Ballmer.
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Shortly after the protest, Microsoft terminated Aboussad’s employment. But instead of facing backlash, she received overwhelming support from across the globe, including from the Palestinian resistance movement Hamas, which praised her bold act of solidarity.
In an email to Microsoft executives, including CEO Satya Nadella and Suleyman, Aboussad explained her moral stance: “I spoke up today because after learning that my org was powering the genocide of my people in Palestine, I saw no other moral choice. I did not sign up to write code that violates human rights.”
Aboussad worked at Microsoft for over three years, primarily in AI development. According to an Associated Press investigation, AI technology from Microsoft and OpenAI has been used by the Israeli military to select bombing targets in Gaza and Lebanon.
The report found a nearly 200-fold increase in the use of Microsoft’s AI technology by the Israeli army since before the October 7, 2023 attacks. More than 13.6 petabytes of data stored on Microsoft servers were reportedly used to analyze phone calls, voicemails, and other communications of Palestinian civilians.
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“Microsoft is directly contributing to the killing of journalists, doctors, children, and families through the AI technology and cloud services it provides to the Israeli military,” Aboussad stated.
Aboussad’s message is not just for consumers — she’s calling on tech workers around the world to speak out and reject being complicit in systems that turn technology into tools of war.
“If you work for a company that’s violating human values, please raise your voice,” she said.
In her video, she highlighted several Microsoft products she believes should be boycotted, including Xbox, Copilot, and Candy Crush — symbols of a tech empire she says is “stained with the blood of innocent lives.”
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According to human rights groups and international agencies, Israel’s assault on Gaza since October 7, 2023, has resulted in over 166,000 casualties, including both deaths and injuries — the majority being women and children. More than 11,000 people remain missing, believed to be buried under rubble or detained without information.
Aboussad’s bold action adds pressure to Microsoft, now facing growing calls for accountability from international boycott movements like BDS (Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions), which demand an end to corporate complicity in human rights violations.[]
Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)
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