Washington, MINA – US tech giant Microsoft has reportedly terminated two software engineers who protested against the company’s AI technology supply to the Israeli military, Palestine Chronicle reported.
Ibtihal Aboussad, a software engineer in Microsoft’s AI division, was fired on Monday for “willful misconduct, disobedience, or neglect of duty,” according to a CNBC report cited by the Anadolu news agency.
Vaniya Agrawal, another engineer, had planned to resign on April 11, but Microsoft made her resignation effective immediately on Monday, the report added.
On Friday, during Microsoft’s 50th-anniversary event, Aboussad interrupted Microsoft AI CEO Mustafa Suleyman’s presentation, accusing the company of complicity in the Israeli military’s actions.
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“Mustafa, shame on you,” she shouted. “All of Microsoft has blood on its hands.”
She further accused Microsoft of enabling AI-driven military operations, saying: “Microsoft sells AI weapons to the Israeli military,” and blamed the company for aiding in what she called “genocide.”
The protest forced Suleyman to pause his talk, which was being livestreamed from Washington, according to the Associated Press.
Later, Agrawal disrupted another panel featuring CEO Satya Nadella, former CEO Steve Ballmer, and founder Bill Gates, urging them to “cut ties with Israel.”
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Following the protests, Aboussad emailed Microsoft executives, stating: “After learning that my organization was powering the genocide of my people in Palestine, I saw no other moral choice.”
Her email included a petition from “No Azure for Apartheid,” a Microsoft employee group protesting the company’s ties to Israel.
Microsoft responded by stating that Aboussad’s email was an “admission that you deliberately and willfully engaged in misconduct.” The company added that her actions aimed to “gain notoriety and cause maximum disruption” at the high-profile event.
“Immediate cessation of your employment is the only appropriate response,” Microsoft’s email to Aboussad read.
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Agrawal received a similar response, with Microsoft making her resignation effective immediately. A company spokesperson stated that while Microsoft values free expression, disruptions that interfere with business operations are not tolerated. []
Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)
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