Several pro-Palestinian protesters were arrested on Tuesday after they stormed the offices of Microsoft President Brad Smith — the latest escalation in a long-running campaign by employees to compel the firm to cut ties with Israel.
Seven demonstrators, among them two company employees, stormed Microsoft headquarters in Redmond, Wash., on Tuesday and occupied Smith’s office.
The demonstrators refused orders to leave, delivering what they described as a “court summons” before hiding phones under couches and bookshelves to record the scene. Police eventually dragged them out, Smith said at a briefing.
“Obviously, when seven folks do as they did today — storm a building, occupy an office, block other people out of the office, plant listening devices … that’s not OK,” Smith said.
“That’s why for those seven folks, the Redmond police literally had to take them out of the building.”
The action was the latest in a series of escalating confrontations led by “No Azure for Apartheid,” a worker-driven campaign urging Microsoft to sever contracts with Israel.
The group accuses the company of enabling war crimes by allowing Israel to use its Azure cloud platform for surveillance and intelligence gathering.
Their demands intensified earlier this month after the British publication Guardian reported that Israel’s military used Microsoft’s cloud to store Palestinians’ phone calls — an allegation that prompted Microsoft to open a third-party investigation.
“We think the responsible step is to investigate and get to the truth of how our services are being used,” Smith said Tuesday.
He stressed that most of Microsoft’s work with the Israel Defense Forces involves cybersecurity, while reiterating the company’s commitment to “ethical” use of its technology.
But the protests show no signs of abating.
Over the weekend, activists turned up in kayaks on Lake Washington, circling the waterfront mansions of CEO Satya Nadella and Smith while unfurling banners accusing the company of profiting from genocide in Gaza.
Days earlier, 20 protesters were arrested outside Microsoft’s campus, Smith said, noting that most had never worked at the company.
Internal emails reviewed by Bloomberg suggest the company is treating the campaign as a growing security threat.
Microsoft’s investigations unit reportedly flagged outspoken employees to the FBI’s Seattle office, even warning federal agents about relatives of staffers tied to demonstrations.
The company also worked with local officials to set up airport-style checkpoints, restrict access to public areas, and bar activist insignia at its annual Build developer conference.
In April, those measures failed to prevent two headline-grabbing disruptions.
Engineer Ibtihal Aboussad tossed a Palestinian keffiyeh scarf onto the stage during a keynote by AI chief Mustafa Suleyman.
Hours later, another employee, Vaniya Agrawal, interrupted a panel with Nadella, Bill Gates and Steve Ballmer. Both later resigned in protest.
The crackdown has also led to firings. Last October, Microsoft dismissed two workers, including software engineer Hossam Nasr, who had organized a lunchtime vigil and fundraiser for Gaza victims at the company’s headquarters.
Nasr has remained active in the “No Azure for Apartheid” campaign, publicly accusing Microsoft of complicity in genocide.
Microsoft insists it does not punish workers for expressing political views but draws the line at what it considers threats or disruptions. Smith said the company will review whether the two employees who occupied his office should face discipline.
Microsoft is among several tech giants, including Google and Amazon, facing worker uprisings over lucrative government contracts tied to the Middle East.
Last year, Google fired dozens of employees after they staged sit-ins over its Project Nimbus deal with Israel.
For Smith — once seen as the conciliatory face of Microsoft, known for forging bipartisan ties in Washington and promoting the company’s ethical use of artificial intelligence — the crisis represents a stern test of leadership.
He sought to balance sympathies on both sides Tuesday, noting that Microsoft “cares deeply” about Israelis killed in Hamas’s Oct. 7, 2023, attack and the hostages taken, as well as the tens of thousands of Palestinians killed since in Gaza.
The Post has sought comment from Microsoft and “No Azure for Apartheid.”
[Notigroup Newsroom in collaboration with other media outlets, with information from the following sources]
