Microsoft has reportedly fired two software engineers, Ibtihal Aboussad and Vaniya Agrawal, after they disrupted a recent company event to protest Microsoft’s alleged involvement with the Israeli military.
The protest took place last Friday during Microsoft’s Copilot and 50th-anniversary event. During the keynote, Aboussad interrupted Mustafa Suleyman, the CEO of Microsoft AI, shouting that he had “blood on his hands.” Later, Agrawal stood up during a panel with top Microsoft figures—including Satya Nadella, Steve Ballmer, and Bill Gates—and shouted, “Shame on all of you… Cut ties with Israel.”
According to an internal message seen by CNBC, Microsoft stated that Aboussad could have raised her concerns privately through a manager or the company’s Global Employee Relations team but chose to disrupt the event instead.
After the protest, Aboussad reportedly emailed staff and executives accusing Microsoft of silencing critical voices within the company. She also shared a petition link from a group called “No Azure for Apartheid,” made up of Microsoft employees who have previously spoken out against the company’s business ties with Israel.
