Microsoft Fires Two Employees Over AI Protest

Microsoft has terminated two employees, Ibtihal Aboussad and Vaniya Agrawal, after they protested the company's AI technology sales to the Israeli military during its 50th anniversary celebration. Aboussad interrupted a keynote speech by Microsoft AI CEO Mustafa Suleyman, accusing the company of complicity in violence against Palestinians, while Agrawal echoed similar sentiments during the event. Microsoft characterized the terminations as a response to 'misconduct' aimed at disrupting a significant corporate event. The protests have sparked broader discussions about tech companies' roles in military applications and worker activism. Aboussad expressed in a follow-up email her moral obligation to speak out against what she described as complicity in 'genocide.' This incident mirrors past controversies faced by other tech firms regarding military contracts.