Microsoft has terminated four employees who participated in on-site protests over the company’s ties to Israel amid the ongoing conflict in Gaza. Two of the workers took part in a sit-in at the office of Microsoft President Brad Smith earlier this week.
According to the protest group No Azure for Apartheid, Anna Hattle and Riki Fameli were first notified of their dismissal via voicemail. On Thursday, two additional employees, Nisreen Jaradat and Julius Shan, who had set up encampments at Microsoft headquarters, were also fired, News.Az reports, citing Reuters.
Microsoft stated the terminations were due to "serious breaches of company policies" and said recent on-site demonstrations had "created significant safety concerns."
The protests were sparked by reports that Israel’s military surveillance agency used Microsoft’s Azure software to store recordings of mobile phone calls made by Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank. A joint investigation by The Guardian, Israeli-Palestinian publication +972 Magazine, and Hebrew-language outlet Local Call highlighted Microsoft cloud’s role in Israeli surveillance.
The activist group No Azure for Apartheid has demanded that Microsoft cut ties with Israel and compensate Palestinians. “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,” said Hattle.
The protests at Microsoft are part of a larger wave of demonstrations over the company’s involvement with Israel. In April, two employees were fired after interrupting remarks by Microsoft AI CEO Mustafa Suleyman during the company’s 50th anniversary celebration.
Smith emphasized that Microsoft respects "freedom of expression that everyone in this country enjoys as long as they do it lawfully."
The protests coincide with heightened tensions in Gaza following Israel’s military assault, which has caused widespread humanitarian concerns. The latest escalation traces back to October 2023, when Hamas militants attacked Israel, killing over 1,200 people and taking approximately 250 hostages, according to Israeli reports.
