Redmond, Washington – Microsoft has terminated the employment of two software engineers, Ibtihal Aboussad and Vaniya Agrawal, following their disruptive protests during the company’s 50th anniversary celebration on Friday, April 4, 2025.
The event, held at Microsoft’s headquarters in Redmond and livestreamed to a global audience, was intended to mark a milestone in the tech giant’s history with appearances by co-founder Bill Gates, former CEO Steve Ballmer, and current CEO Satya Nadella.
However, it was overshadowed by the actions of the two employees, who voiced strong objections to Microsoft’s artificial intelligence (AI) technology ties to the Israeli military.
The first incident occurred during a keynote address by Microsoft AI CEO Mustafa Suleyman, who presented updates on the company’s AI assistant, Copilot, and outlined a long-term vision for its AI ambitions.
Ibtihal Aboussad, a software engineer based at Microsoft’s Canadian headquarters in Toronto, approached the stage and interrupted Suleyman’s speech. “Mustafa, shame on you,” she shouted. “You claim that you care about using AI for good, but Microsoft sells AI weapons to the Israeli military. Fifty thousand people have died, and Microsoft powers this genocide in our region.”
As she spoke, Aboussad threw a keffiyeh scarf—a symbol widely associated with Palestinian solidarity—onto the stage before being escorted out by security. Suleyman paused his presentation and responded calmly, saying, “Thank you for your protest, I hear you,” as the audience watched in stunned silence.
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Later in the event, a second protester, Vaniya Agrawal, disrupted proceedings during a panel featuring Gates, Ballmer, and Nadella—the first public gathering of Microsoft’s three CEOs since 2014. Agrawal accused the company of complicity in the deaths of Palestinians, shouting that Microsoft’s technology had “murdered” 50,000 people in Gaza. Her outburst prompted boos from some audience members, and she too was quickly removed by security.
Microsoft responded swiftly to the disruptions. On Monday, April 7, 2025, the company fired both employees. In a termination letter to Aboussad, Microsoft accused her of “misconduct designed to gain notoriety and cause maximum disruption to this highly anticipated event,” asserting that she could have raised her concerns confidentially through internal channels.
Agrawal, who had already submitted her resignation with an intended departure date of April 11, was informed that her resignation was being made “immediately effective” five days early, effectively terminating her employment on the spot. Both employees lost access to their work accounts shortly after the protests, a move they interpreted as a sign of impending dismissal.
The advocacy group No Azure for Apartheid, which has long campaigned against Microsoft’s sale of its Azure cloud computing platform to the Israeli military, confirmed the firings and pledged support for Aboussad and Agrawal. The group alleges that Microsoft’s AI technologies, including models developed in partnership with OpenAI, have been used by the Israeli military to select bombing targets in Gaza and Lebanon, contributing to significant civilian casualties.
An investigation by The Associated Press earlier this year lent weight to these claims, revealing a dramatic spike in the Israeli military’s use of Microsoft’s AI tools following the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack—usage that reportedly increased nearly 200 times over previous levels. The report also detailed a 2023 Israeli airstrike that killed three young girls and their grandmother in Lebanon, an incident tied to the military’s AI-driven targeting systems.
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In a statement released on Friday, Microsoft emphasized its commitment to providing “many avenues for all voices to be heard,” but stressed that such expressions must not interfere with business operations. “We ask that this be done in a way that does not cause a business disruption. If that happens, we ask participants to relocate,” the statement read. “We are committed to ensuring our business practices uphold the highest standards.” The company declined to comment further on whether additional disciplinary actions would be taken.
The protests mark the latest in a series of internal rebellions at Microsoft over its military contracts with Israel. In February 2025, five employees were ejected from a town hall meeting with Nadella for a similar demonstration, and in October 2024, two workers were fired for organizing an unauthorized vigil for Palestinian refugees at the Redmond campus.
The No Azure for Apartheid movement, which claims to represent a growing number of concerned Microsoft employees, has demanded that the company sever all ties with the Israeli military, disclose the full extent of its contracts, and conduct an audit to determine if its technologies have been used in war crimes.
The firings have sparked debate over employee rights, corporate accountability, and the ethical implications of AI in warfare. Supporters of Aboussad and Agrawal argue that their actions reflect a moral stand against the misuse of technology, while critics, including some Microsoft shareholders, contend that such disruptions undermine the company’s operations and public image. As of Wednesday, April 9, 2025, the incident continues to reverberate, casting a shadow over what was meant to be a celebratory moment in Microsoft’s 50-year history.