Controversial layoffs at Microsoft after protests against military AI

Two female software engineers were fired by Microsoft after disrupting its 50th anniversary event to protest military contracts with Israel. The incident occurred in Redmond, Washington, where the workers publicly denounced the use of the Azure cloud for military purposes in Gaza. Affiliated with the "No Azure for Apartheid" collective, they accused the company of facilitating human rights violations and demanded an end to its collaboration with the Israeli military. The company's immediate response, with immediate dismissals, has sparked a global debate about technological ethics, freedom of expression, and the role of large corporations in armed conflicts.

Microsoft fires engineers for reporting military ties

Microsoft's 50th anniversary celebrations were overshadowed by an internal protest that exposed the company's links to military uses of its technology. During the Redmond event, two female engineers interrupted keynote presentations to accuse Microsoft of complicity in human rights violations in Gaza. Ibtihal Aboussad threw a keffiyeh on stage as she pointed the finger at AI CEO Mustafa Suleyman for “selling AI weapons to Israel.” Later, Vaniya Agrawal spoke on a panel that included Satya Nadella, Bill Gates, and Steve Ballmer, demanding an immediate end to contracts with the Israeli military.

Both coordinated and symbolic actions shook up the event's corporate narrative and captured the attention of international media outlets such as TechCrunch, ABC News, and The Times of Israel. The group they belong to, "No Azure for Apartheid," denounces that the Azure platform is being used for surveillance, drone strikes, and military operations affecting civilians in Gaza. "We don't want our work used for war," Agrawal wrote in an internal email urging more employees to protest or resign.

Immediate dismissals, official silence

Hours after the protest, both engineers were fired, which has been perceived as a sign of corporate intolerance toward ethical dissent. Aboussad was informed of her dismissal during a video call with human resources; Agrawal received an email without any direct conversation. So far, Microsoft has not publicly commented on the layoffs or responded to multiple press requests., which has generated even more controversy.

What's most striking is the contrast between Suleyman's initial response to the protest, saying, "Thank you for your protest. I'm listening," and his decision to terminate the employment relationship with both workers just a few hours later. This apparent openness to dialogue was quickly invalidated by a disciplinary policy that many consider punitive and disproportionate.

The tension between activism and business

This case is part of a growing wave of technological activism. From Google to Amazon, dozens of employees have protested in recent years over government contracts deemed ethically problematic. In 2018, Google employees successfully forced the company to withdraw its participation in the Pentagon's controversial Project Maven. Amazon, for its part, has faced internal revolt over the sale of facial recognition technology to law enforcement agencies.

However, Microsoft's decisive action now could mark a new precedent: the end of corporate tolerance for internal ethical expressions. “What used to generate debate and negotiation now leads to immediate layoffs,” lamented a former Google employee interviewed by TechCrunch.

Reaction of the technological and social environment

Since the layoffs became known, dozens of human rights organizations, academics, and industry employees have expressed their support for the workers. On social media, hashtags like #NoAzureForApartheid and #TechWontBeSilent have gained traction. Some engineers from other major companies have begun signing open letters demanding transparency from Microsoft about its military contracts.

Pressure has also come from within: lower-ranking employees and digital activists have begun organizing to demand that the company conduct an independent ethics review of its collaborations with governments and armed forces. A recent survey by the Institute for Future Technologies shows that 67% of tech workers would be willing to resign if they discovered their jobs were being used for military purposes without ethical oversight.

Microsoft and its ties to Israel

The most controversial contract linking Microsoft to the Israeli military was signed in 2022, worth more than $1.000 billion, focusing on cloud infrastructure, artificial intelligence, and cybersecurity. Although the company has never publicly confirmed the details, internal leaks and independent reports have indicated that the technology is being used in target recognition, surveillance, and predictive threat analysis systems in the Gaza Strip.

Organizations such as Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International have warned about the use of these tools in contexts where robust human rights mechanisms and institutional transparency do not exist. Microsoft's participation in this ecosystem has been described by these organizations as "an ethical gray area with serious humanitarian consequences."

Corporate culture under the microscope

Beyond the geopolitical conflict, the case highlights a structural problem in the tech business culture: the lack of internal mechanisms to channel ethical concerns without retaliation. Neither Aboussad nor Agrawal received prior warnings or opportunities to formally raise objections, a move that has been criticized by organizational governance experts.

“A company that invests billions in AI but doesn't have secure internal channels to question its use is doomed to opaque decisions,” explained Shoshana Zuboff, author of The age of surveillance capitalism. Ethics can't be a footnote in corporate events; it must be embedded in the organization's DNA.

When artificial intelligence loses its way

The story of these two fired engineers not only reveals the hidden face of a major tech company, but also exposes the profound dilemma facing the industry as a whole: Can artificial intelligence serve humanity when its owners use it for war? The answer is yet to be built, but Microsoft's case demonstrates that the path to ethical technology will not be easy or comfortable.

The most worrying thing is not only that algorithms are used to identify military targets, but that The same workers who design these tools cannot say “enough” without losing their jobs. When the fear of being fired outweighs moral responsibility, what's at stake is no longer just freedom of expression, but the entire course of technological innovation.

In this context, true leadership will not be measured by sales figures or the speed of implementation of new products, but by the ability of companies to look squarely at the human consequences of their technology. Otherwise, today's layoffs will be tomorrow's norm. And AI, far from promising us a more just future, will be just another weapon in the hands of the powerful.