Microsoft employees protest Azure’s role in 'Israel’s' Gaza genocide
4 Min Read
Dozens of Microsoft employees occupied the Redmond campus to protest the company's role in supporting "Israel’s" Gaza genocide and surveillance of Palestinians, demanding divestment and accountability.
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An Israeli occupation flag is draped over the Microsoft offices in a building in the Gav Yam technology park in Beer al-Sabe, occupied Palestine, on May 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Sam Mednick)
Dozens of Microsoft employees staged a protest at the company’s East Campus in Redmond, Washington, denouncing the reported use of Microsoft’s Azure platform by the Israeli military in its aggression against Gaza and its surveillance of Palestinians.
Protesters occupied a section of the campus for two hours on Wednesday, establishing what they called a "Free Zone." Demonstrators held signs reading "Join The Worker Intifada, No Labor for Genocide" and "Martyred Palestinian Children’s Plaza." The action was organized by the internal activist group No Azure for Genocide.
The protest follows Microsoft’s statement three months earlier, pledging to conduct an independent investigation into how its Azure cloud services might be used by "Israel". Since then, employees say there has been no meaningful response.
The activists are demanding that Microsoft cut ties with "Israel" and divest from projects that allegedly contribute to the occupation and surveillance of Palestinians. Earlier this year, Microsoft employee Joe Lopez disrupted CEO Satya Nadella’s speech at the company’s annual developer conference. "Satya, how about you show how Microsoft is killing Palestinians," Lopez declared during the event.
Hossam Nasr, a former Microsoft employee who was fired last year after organizing a Palestine solidarity vigil, participated in the recent action. He cited the killing of journalist Anas al-Sharif earlier this month as a turning point. "I watched him report on Gaza relentlessly, through starvation, through extermination campaigns, through bombing. He was the voice of the business. He was intentionally targeted," said Nasr, 26.
Reports of surveillance and Azure’s Role
Recent investigations by The Guardian and +972 Magazine revealed that the Israeli military’s Unit 8200 has been using Microsoft Azure to store mass data, including phone conversations from Palestinians in Gaza and the occupied West Bank.
Microsoft responded that it was not aware "of the surveillance of civilians or the collection of their cellphone conversations using Microsoft’s services."
A spokesperson reiterated this stance during the protest, stating, "Based on these reviews, including interviewing dozens of employees and assessing documents, we have found no evidence to date that Microsoft’s Azure and AI technologies have been used to target or harm people in the conflict in Gaza."
Activists say they will continue to organize until Microsoft is held accountable.
Read next: How Microsoft became a hub for Israeli intelligence, control: GrayZone
'Time for us to escalate'
Nasreen Jaradat, a 29-year-old Microsoft employee, emphasized the urgency, saying, "Every single second that we wait, things are worse and worse in Palestine. People are getting hungrier and hungrier. More and more people are being bombed and maimed. It’s time for us to escalate, however we can."
Julius Shan, another employee, said the goal is to encourage fellow workers to reflect on how their labor may be linked to oppression. "I think we are inspiring conversation among the people who work at Microsoft to feel more comfortable talking about this with each other and about how their work is contributing to genocide," Shan said.
Microsoft employs around 47,000 people in Redmond. While some employees took flyers and engaged with demonstrators, others continued their lunch breaks in the surrounding campus restaurants.
After two hours, the police arrived and told the protesters they would be arrested for trespassing if they did not leave. The group complied, ending the event peacefully. Despite the brief nature of the protest, organizers say their movement is growing and that raising awareness within the company remains a core objective.
