'Shame On You All': Indian-Origin Techie Escorted Out After Confronting Bill Gates, Satya Nadella For Microsoft's Alleged AI Support To Israeli Forces In Gaza (VIDEO)
Washington DC: Tech giant Microsoft's 50th-anniversary celebrations in Washington were disrupted after an Indian-Origin techie Vaniya Agarwal questioned the company's stance on the Israeli military operations in Gaza. At the time of the incident, Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates, former CEO Steve Ballmer, and current CEO Satya Nadella, were present on stage.
"Shame on you all. You’re all hypocrites,” Agarwal shouted. She was escorted out of the hall where the celebrations were going on. "50,000 Palestinians in Gaza have been murdered with Microsoft technology. How dare you. Shame on all of you for celebrating on their blood. Cut ties with Israel," the Indian-Origin techie said.
Vanya Agarwal Confronting Bill Gates, Satya Nadella And Steve Ballmer:
When Agarwal was shouting, Gates, Ballmer and Nadella did not react. After the Indian techie was escorted out of the hall, the current and former Microsoft CEOs continued their discussion.
“I think Steve and I almost cared too much, and our life was the company, and Satya has this ability to care as much as we did, but with more of a team,” Gates said while continuing discussion, reported India Today.
Soon after the incident, Agarwal resigned from the company. In her resignation letter, she stated that her last day at Microsoft would be April 11. Agarwal waws protesting against Microsoft’s alleged USD 133 million cloud and AI contract with Israel’s Ministry of Defense, reported The Mint.
"I cannot, in good conscience, be part of a company that participates in this violent injustice," the Indian-origin techie wrote in her resignation letter accessed by The Verge. Microsoft leadership must divest from Israel and stop selling lethal technology to power apartheid and genocide,” she wrote in the resignation letter.
Earlier, another Microsoft employee, Ibtihal Aboussad, protested at the company’s 50th anniversary event to protest over its technological support to the Israeli forces. Aboussad, speaking directly to Microsoft AI CEO Mustafa Suleyman, called him a "war professor".
Ibtihal Aboussad's Confronting Microsoft AI CEO Mustafa Suleyman:
"You are a war profiteer. Stop using AI for genocide. Stop using AI for genocide in our region. You have blood on your hands. All of Microsoft has blood on its hands," Aboussad said. she also resigned from the company.
According to reports, more than 50,000 people were killed in Gaza in the Israeli military operation in Gaza after Hamas carried out an attack on Israel in October 2023.
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