Microsoft fire employees who protested the sale of genAI tech to the Israeli military
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Summary
Two software engineers at Microsoft, Ibtihal Aboussad and Vaniya Agrawal, were fired for misconduct following protests at the company’s anniversary event.
Aboussad approached the stage during a speech and called Microsoft AI CEO Mustafa Suleyman a “war profiteer”
Aboussad and Agrawal both said in emails to executives that they felt Microsoft was contributing to genocide and was complicit in the bloodshed.
They criticised Microsoft’s relationship with the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF).
The ties between the companies were brought into focus earlier this year after it was revealed that Microsoft’s services and OpenAI technology were being used by the Israeli military.
In particular, it was revealed that their technology was being used for AI-enabled systems for intelligence operations and mass surveillance.
Many Microsoft employees have spoken out and protested the relationship over the past year.
Microsoft has not made a public statement on the situation. GUSINESS INSIDER..ORG
