WATCH | '50,000 Palestinians Murdered With Microsoft Tech': Indian-American Engineer Calls Out Gates, Ballmer, Nadella Over AI Ties To Gaza War
Microsoft’s golden jubilee celebration in Washington took an unexpected turn as two employees disrupted the event to protest the company’s alleged role in enabling Israeli military operations through its AI and cloud services. Among the protestors was Vaniya Agrawal, an Indian-American software engineer, whose fiery confrontation with Microsoft’s top leadership — including Bill Gates, Steve Ballmer, and Satya Nadella — stole headlines.
“50,000 Palestinians in Gaza have been murdered with Microsoft technology. How dare you. Shame on all of you for celebrating on their blood,” Agrawal shouted, interrupting a high-profile panel discussion.
'Stop Selling Lethal Technology'
Agrawal’s protest was followed by a powerful resignation email sent to Microsoft’s internal mailing list. In her letter, she stated, “I cannot, in good conscience, be part of a company that participates in this violent injustice.”
Citing a reported $133 million contract between Microsoft and Israel’s Ministry of Defense, she accused the tech giant of fueling what she described as a genocide. Agrawal alleged that Microsoft’s Azure and AI tools are directly aiding Israel’s military and surveillance efforts, claiming the company is breaching its own human rights principles.
“Microsoft leadership must divest from Israel and stop selling lethal technology to power apartheid and genocide,” she wrote, labeling the firm a “digital weapons manufacturer.” She concluded the note with a rallying cry: “Farewell and Free Palestine.”
More Than Just a Single Voice
The protest didn’t end with Agrawal. During a presentation by Microsoft AI CEO Mustafa Suleyman, another employee, Ibtihal Aboussad, accused him of profiteering from war. “Microsoft technologies are being used to commit acts of genocide,” she said during the event.
Suleyman acknowledged her protest with a brief, “Thank you for your protest, I hear you,” before security escorted her out.
Aboussad later told Reuters she was locked out of her work account shortly after the disruption.
Microsoft Stays Silent as Tensions Rise
Despite the viral nature of the protests and resignations, Microsoft has yet to issue a public comment. The company continued its 50th-anniversary showcase, spotlighting advancements in AI, including its much-touted Copilot assistant. However, the mood among attendees reportedly shifted dramatically following the disruptions.
The protests come amid intensifying global scrutiny of corporations’ roles in war tech supply chains and ethical AI deployment.
War, Displacement, and Corporate Accountability
The backlash against Microsoft is rooted in the broader geopolitical crisis unfolding in Gaza. The conflict reignited in October 2023 after a Hamas-led attack in Israel killed 1,200 people and resulted in hundreds of hostages. Since then, Israel’s retaliatory strikes have reportedly killed over 50,000 Palestinians, according to health officials in Gaza.
The war has displaced nearly all of Gaza’s 2.3 million residents. While Israel maintains that its military targets Hamas fighters, accusations of disproportionate force and human rights violations continue to grow.
As Big Tech companies tout their AI breakthroughs, voices like Agrawal’s are demanding they also reckon with how their innovations are being deployed in global conflicts.
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