Microsoft Fires Two Employees Over Israel-Related Protests at Redmond Campus

Microsoft has fired four employees for participating in protests against the company's business ties to Israel amid the ongoing conflict in Gaza. The protests, organized by the 'No Azure for Apartheid' movement, included a sit-in at Microsoft President Brad Smith's office and calls for the company to end its Azure-based collaborations with the Israeli military, increase transparency, support a ceasefire, and protect employees. Microsoft stated the terminations were due to serious violations of company policies and code of conduct, citing safety concerns caused by the protests. The protest group accused Microsoft of attempting to silence workers and criticized the involvement of security and police on campus. The controversy follows reports that Israeli military surveillance agencies have used Microsoft's Azure cloud infrastructure for mass surveillance of Palestinians. Microsoft has denied direct involvement with the military and conducted internal and external investigations in response to these concerns.