A Microsoft employee interrupted the company’s 50th-anniversary celebration to protest its artificial intelligence initiatives, accusing the company of complicity in war crimes. The disruption occurred during an address by Microsoft AI CEO Mustafa Suleyman when software engineer Ibtihal Aboussad stood up and directly confronted him.

“Shame on you,” Aboussad declared. “You are a war profiteer. Stop using AI for genocide in our region, Mustafa. You have blood on your hands.”

Suleyman maintained his composure, repeatedly saying, “Thank you. I hear your protest. Thank you.”

Aboussad continued her rant even as security escorted her from the venue. However, being ejected from the event did not end her rally. Sources within Microsoft told The Verge that she later sent a company-wide email to hundreds, possibly thousands, of employees, explaining her actions and condemning the company’s involvement in Israel’s military operations.

In her email, Aboussad, a Microsoft engineer for over three years, said she could not stay silent after learning her work contributed to what she called the “genocide” of Palestinians. She accused Microsoft of suppressing internal dissent and fostering a hostile environment for Arab, Palestinian, and Muslim employees.

“For the past year and a half, our Arab, Palestinian, and Muslim community at Microsoft has been silenced, intimidated, harassed, and doxxed, with impunity,” she wrote. “Speaking up at best fell on deaf ears, and at worst, led to the firing of two employees for simply holding a vigil.”

Aboussad cited reporting by the Associated Press regarding a $133 million contract with Israel’s Ministry of Defense, which she said enables mass data collection and intelligence gathering. According to the report, Israeli military use of Microsoft AI services spiked in early 2024, with stored data doubling within months. She claims that Israel uses this data for mass surveillance, transcription of intercepted messages, and aiding in military strikes. Aboussad contends that Microsoft’s AI technology makes attacks more lethal and destructive.

Aboussad urged coworkers to sign the “No Azure for Apartheid” petition demanding leadership sever ties with the Israeli military. She referenced Microsoft’s past decision to drop contracts with AnyVision, an Israeli facial recognition company, after employee and community protests.

Her demonstration comes amid broader unrest within the tech sector. Microsoft, Google, and Amazon have all faced employee backlash over military and government contracts, especially surrounding Project Nimbus, which provides cloud services to the Israeli government.

Microsoft has not commented publicly on the protest. It has previously stated it adheres to ethical guidelines in its AI work. Whether this incident will lead to internal policy changes remains uncertain.

Image credit: Steve Jurvetson