Moroccan employee Ibtihal Aboussad accuses Microsoft of complicity with Israel during the group’s 50th anniversary

An Associated Press investigation revealed earlier this year that AI models from Microsoft and OpenAI were used as part of an Israeli military program to select bombing targets during Israel’s recent wars in Gaza and Lebanon. 

A Microsoft employee of Moroccan origin, Ibtihal Aboussad, set social networks ablaze. She interrupted the company’s 50th anniversary celebration on Friday, April 4, shouting « Mustafa, shame on you! » You are a war profiteer. Stop using AI for genocide. You claim to care about using AI for good, but Microsoft is selling AI weapons to the Israeli military. Fifty thousand people are dead and Microsoft is fueling this genocide in our region. How dare you celebrate this anniversary when Microsoft is killing children?”

The young pro-Palestinian protester was speaking to Mustafa Suleyman, CEO of Microsoft AI, as he presented product updates and a long-term vision for Copilot, the company’s artificial intelligence assistant, to an audience that included Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates and Steve Ballmer, the company’s former CEO. “Thank you for your protest, I hear you,” Suleyman said. Aboussad went on to shout that Suleyman and “all of Microsoft” had blood on their hands. She also threw a keffiyeh scarf, which has become a symbol of support for the Palestinian people, onto the stage before being escorted from the event. Later in the day, a second employee, Vaniya Agrawal, took the stage as the three former CEOs, Gates, Ballmer and current CEO Satya Nadella were on stage. It was their first public gathering since 2014. In turn, Agrawal denounced Microsoft’s collaboration with Israel.

Shortly after being kicked out of the event, Aboussad, who has worked at Microsoft for three and a half years, sent an email to thousands of Microsoft employees revealed by the website The Verge. “I spoke out today because after learning that my organization was fueling the genocide of my people in Palestine, I saw no other moral choice. This is especially true as I have witnessed how Microsoft has tried to stifle and suppress any dissent from my colleagues who have attempted to raise this issue. For the past year and a half, Microsoft’s Arab, Palestinian and Muslim community has been silenced, intimidated, harassed and doxxed with complete impunity by Microsoft. Attempts to speak out were ignored or suppressed, leading to the firing of two employees for simply organizing a sit-in. » She added: “When I joined AI Platform, I was excited to contribute to cutting-edge AI technology and its applications for the good of humanity: accessibility products, translation services and tools to enable every human and every organization to achieve more. I was not informed that Microsoft would sell my work to the Israeli military and government, with the aim of spying on and assassinating journalists, doctors, aid workers and entire civilian families. If I had known that my work on transcription scripts would allow spying and transcribing phone calls to better target Palestinians, I would not have joined this organization and contributed to a genocide. » She ended her email by calling on all her colleagues to act in favor of peace. An Associated Press investigation found earlier this nte, that AI models from Microsoft and OpenAI had been used as part of an Israeli military program to select bombing targets during Israel’s recent wars in Gaza and Lebanon. The agency’s article also included details of an Israeli airstrike in 2023 that mistakenly hit a vehicle carrying members of a Lebanese family, killing three young girls and their grandmother. According to AP, five Microsoft employees were kicked out of a meeting attended by Nadella in February for protesting the contracts. For her part, Aboussad told the AP that she had not yet heard from the company. However, she and Agrawal saw the loss of access to their business accounts, leading to speculation that she could be fired. Microsoft’s response In response, the company released a statement Friday saying, « We’re providing many opportunities to ensure all voices are heard. » Importantly, we ask that this be done in a way that does not disrupt business operations. If this happens, we ask participants to move. We are committed to ensuring that our business practices meet the highest standards.” However, Microsoft declined to say whether it was taking further action.