Outrage emerged from employees during the 50th-anniversary party of the technology giant Microsoft due to its dealings with Israel. At the event, some Microsoft workers voiced their disapproval of the services provided by the company to Israel. The speech given by Microsoft’s AI chief executive officer, Mustafa Sulaiman, at the company’s 50th-anniversary celebration was interrupted by employees protesting Microsoft’s agreements with Israel. Among the audience, including Microsoft’s co-founder Bill Gates and former CEO Steve Ballmer, Ibtihal Aboussad approached the stage and addressed Sulaiman, denouncing the company for selling artificial intelligence weapons to the Israeli army, stating that Microsoft’s support contributes to genocide in their region. Aboussad was removed by security after throwing her keffiyeh on stage. In another event where Gates, Ballmer, and CEO Satya Nadella were present on stage, software engineer Vaniya Agrawal from the company’s artificial intelligence division shouted, “Shame on all of you, you are all hypocrites,” condemning them for celebrating over the bloodshed of 50,000 Palestinians in Gaza through Microsoft technology and urging them to sever ties with Israel. Agrawal mentioned in an email sent to Microsoft executives after the protest that she would resign by working for this company, claiming that all of them become accomplices. Aboussad mentioned that she was not informed that their work would be used for military purposes, emphasizing that she did not sign up to write code that violates human rights. Some employees protested Microsoft outside the event venue. The statement from the company defended the allowance for various voices to be heard but requested that expressing these voices should not lead to work disruptions, asking participants to move their positions in such cases and affirming the commitment to ensuring that business practices adhere to the highest standards. A research conducted by the Associated Press in early 2025 revealed that Microsoft and OpenAI’s artificial intelligence models were used as part of the Israeli military program to select bombing targets in Gaza and Lebanon.