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Two Microsoft staff had been dismissed on Monday, April 7, following high-profile protests surrounding the Israeli navy’s utilization of Microsoft AI merchandise.
Ibtihal Aboussad, a former AI software program engineer with Microsoft, was fired for disobedience, willful misconduct, willful neglect of obligation, and simply trigger, in accordance with the corporate. She interrupted a keynote speech of Microsoft AI CEO Mustafa Suleyman on the firm’s 50th anniversary occasion on Friday, April 4.
“Mustafa, shame on you. You claim that you care for 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. You have blood on your hands,” mentioned Aboussad as she tried to strategy the stage.
Vaniya Agrawal, additionally a former software program engineer with Microsoft, staged her personal protest at a separate occasion later that day. She interrupted remarks by Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella. While Agrawal had beforehand submitted her resignation, the tech big despatched her an inside message on April 7 terminating her employment instantly.
No Azure for Apartheid
This isn’t the primary time Microsoft has confronted inside backlash over its operations. On October 24, 2024, two different staff, Abdo Mohamed and Hossam Nasr, had been fired after their half in a vigil and fundraiser for a marketing campaign often known as No Azure for Apartheid.
Part of the bigger No Tech for Apartheid community, No Azure for Apartheid has outlined 4 key calls for:
- End Microsoft Azure contracts with the Israeli navy.
- Provide visibility into all ties and relationships between Microsoft and the Israeli state.
- Advocate for Microsoft to help an instantaneous ceasefire.
- Better shield staff who voice their issues publicly.
While Microsoft has but to behave on these calls for, the corporate continues to emphasise its dedication to moral enterprise practices.
Read eWeek’s information on navigating AI moral challenges.
