Activists Occupy Microsoft President’s Office, Lockdown Redmond HQ Over Israel Contracts

Activists from the group 'No Azure for Apartheid' escalated their campaign against Microsoft by infiltrating the company's Redmond headquarters and occupying the office of Microsoft President Brad Smith, leading to a temporary lockdown. The protesters live-streamed their sit-in on Twitch, carried banners accusing Microsoft of supporting genocide, and posted a mock legal summons charging Smith with crimes against humanity, highlighting objections to Microsoft's cloud contracts with Israel. The protest included current and former Microsoft employees and mirrors similar actions taken by Google employees against a $1.2 billion contract supporting Israeli military operations. The activists claim Microsoft's Azure cloud services are used in human rights abuses against Palestinians, a stance supported by investigations revealing Israeli use of Microsoft services to store data from millions of calls in Gaza and the West Bank. Following previous arrests and campus protests, seven protesters were arrested during the office occupation, while Microsoft maintains its commitment to human rights standards and is reviewing reports about its Azure platform's use. The ongoing demonstrations reflect growing pressure on Microsoft from activists and shareholders to end its business dealings with the Israeli government.