Microsoft fires two employees after Gaza protest at president’s office
Dismissals follow sit-in over company’s ties to Israel and allegations of aiding surveillance.
Two Microsoft employees were fired on Wednesday after participating in a sit-in at the office of the company’s president to protest Microsoft’s ties to Israel amid the war in Gaza.
A Microsoft spokesperson said the workers were terminated following “serious breaches of company policies and our code of conduct” stemming from what the company described as “the break-in at the executive offices.”
Anna Hattle and Riki Fameli received voicemails notifying them of their dismissal, according to a statement from the protest group No Azure for Apartheid.
They were among seven demonstrators arrested on Tuesday after occupying the office of company president Brad Smith. The other five were former Microsoft employees and outside activists.
“We are here because Microsoft continues to provide Israel with the tools it needs to commit genocide while gaslighting and misdirecting its own workers about this reality,” Hattle said in a statement on Wednesday.
No Azure for Apartheid, whose name references Microsoft’s Azure cloud platform, has demanded that the company cut its ties to Israel and pay reparations to Palestinians. On Tuesday, Smith said: “We respect the freedom of expression that everyone in this country enjoys as long as they do it lawfully.”
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A joint media investigation has reported that an Israeli military surveillance agency used Microsoft’s Azure software to store vast numbers of mobile phone call recordings from Palestinians living in the West Bank and Gaza.
The investigation, conducted by The Guardian, Israeli-Palestinian outlet +972 Magazine, and Hebrew-language publication Local Call, also said Israel relies on Microsoft’s cloud services for expansive surveillance of Palestinians.
In response, Microsoft said earlier this month that it had engaged the law firm Covington & Burling LLP to conduct a review.
Other Microsoft employees have also staged protests over the company’s relationship with Israel.
In April, remarks by Microsoft AI CEO Mustafa Suleyman were interrupted by a pro-Palestinian employee during the company’s 50th anniversary celebration. That employee, along with another who protested, was subsequently fired.
