A former Microsoft employee ignited controversy during the company’s 50th anniversary celebration, confronting top executives including CEO Satya Nadella and former heads Bill Gates and Steve Ballmer. The employee, Vaniya Agrawal, an Indian-American software engineer, accused the tech giant of aiding violence in Gaza through its technologies.
“Fifty thousand Palestinians in Gaza have been murdered with Microsoft technology. How dare you. Shame on all of you for celebrating on their blood,” she declared before being escorted out of the event. Neither Gates nor Nadella nor Ballmer responded to the outburst, choosing instead to continue their panel discussion.
Agrawal, who has since resigned from the company, described Microsoft as a “digital weapons manufacturer” and condemned its alleged collaboration with the Israeli military. In a pointed critique, she called on Microsoft to end its ties with Israel, highlighting what she claimed was a $133 million agreement with Israel’s Ministry of Defense involving AI and Azure tools.
In her resignation letter, Agrawal wrote, “I cannot, in good conscience, be part of a company that participates in this violent injustice,” and added, “If you must continue to work at Microsoft, I urge you to use your position, power, and privilege to hold Microsoft accountable to its own values and mission.”
This isn’t the first time Microsoft employees have spoken out against the company's partnerships. Earlier, Ibtihal Aboussad, another staffer who also resigned, disrupted a session led by Mustafa Suleyman, Microsoft's AI CEO. She called him a “war profiteer,” accusing him and the company of enabling violence. “Microsoft technologies are being used to commit acts of genocide,” she alleged. Suleyman responded, “Thank you for your protest. I hear you.”
Back in February, Nadella faced similar internal dissent when five employees were removed from a meeting after protesting Microsoft’s contracts with Israeli defense entities. The backlash has intensified in recent months as violence surged in Gaza following the breakdown of a ceasefire agreement with Hamas.
“Fifty thousand Palestinians in Gaza have been murdered with Microsoft technology. How dare you. Shame on all of you for celebrating on their blood,” she declared before being escorted out of the event. Neither Gates nor Nadella nor Ballmer responded to the outburst, choosing instead to continue their panel discussion.
Agrawal, who has since resigned from the company, described Microsoft as a “digital weapons manufacturer” and condemned its alleged collaboration with the Israeli military. In a pointed critique, she called on Microsoft to end its ties with Israel, highlighting what she claimed was a $133 million agreement with Israel’s Ministry of Defense involving AI and Azure tools.
Vaniya Agrawal, another Microsoft employee confronted the panel on stage at the company’s 50th anniversary celebration which included founder Bill Gates. Agrawal continued the protest saying “I’m a Microsoft worker and I do not consent…. 50,000 Palestinians have been killed pic.twitter.com/t16TyFxv3a
— سيف القدس SayfAlqudss (@SayfAlqudss) April 6, 2025
In her resignation letter, Agrawal wrote, “I cannot, in good conscience, be part of a company that participates in this violent injustice,” and added, “If you must continue to work at Microsoft, I urge you to use your position, power, and privilege to hold Microsoft accountable to its own values and mission.”
This isn’t the first time Microsoft employees have spoken out against the company's partnerships. Earlier, Ibtihal Aboussad, another staffer who also resigned, disrupted a session led by Mustafa Suleyman, Microsoft's AI CEO. She called him a “war profiteer,” accusing him and the company of enabling violence. “Microsoft technologies are being used to commit acts of genocide,” she alleged. Suleyman responded, “Thank you for your protest. I hear you.”
Back in February, Nadella faced similar internal dissent when five employees were removed from a meeting after protesting Microsoft’s contracts with Israeli defense entities. The backlash has intensified in recent months as violence surged in Gaza following the breakdown of a ceasefire agreement with Hamas.
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