A pro-Palestinian protest staged by Microsoft employees interrupted the company’s 50th anniversary celebration, marking the latest wave of criticism against the tech giant's collaboration with the Israeli military in supplying artificial intelligence technology.

The protest unfolded on Friday during a presentation by Mustafa Suleyman, Microsoft’s AI CEO, who was outlining updates and future plans for the company’s AI assistant, Copilot. 

The audience included Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates and former CEO Steve Ballmer.

As Suleyman spoke, Microsoft employee Ibtihal Aboussad approached the stage, shouting, “Mustafa, shame on you!” She accused the company of complicity in violence, stating, “You claim AI is for good, but Microsoft sells AI weapons to the Israeli military. Fifty thousand people have died, and Microsoft fuels this genocide.”

Suleyman responded with a calm acknowledgment, saying, “Thank you for your protest, I hear you,” as Aboussad continued her protest. She threw a keffiyeh scarf—symbolizing Palestinian solidarity—onto the stage before being escorted out.

Earlier this year, an investigation by The Associated Press revealed that AI models from Microsoft and OpenAI were used by the Israeli military in targeting operations during conflicts in Gaza and Lebanon.

A second protester, Microsoft employee Vaniya Agrawal, interrupted another portion of the celebration where Gates, Ballmer, and current CEO Satya Nadella were on stage together for the first time since 2014.

This is not the first time employees have publicly protested Microsoft's military contracts—earlier this year, five staff members were removed from a meeting with Nadella for similar demonstrations.

Source: Al Jazeera 

BDST: 1231 HRS, APR 05, 2025
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