JAKARTA Microsoft has been humiliated again by its employees. This time, the technology company was criticized by workers in the Azure hardware section when holding a Build event on Monday, May 19, 2024.
Reporting from The Verge, an employee named Joe Lopez shouted 'Free Palestine!' when Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella gave a speech. Lopez did not call for the words himself, but with other protesters known to former Google employees.
The protesters are known to have been fired for protesting against the partnership contract between Google and Israel. Lopez's demonstrations and some others did not last long as they were immediately removed from the hall.
This demonstration was carried out because Microsoft entered into a cloud and Artificial Intelligence (AI) partnership with the Israeli government. According to Lopez and other protesters, Azure's technology has harmed Palestine by injuring civilians.
In a video circulating on social media, it can be seen that Lopez stands on his chair while questioning Microsoft's crimes. According to him, Microsoft took part in the genocide movement carried out by Israel.
"What if you show how Microsoft kills Palestinians? What if you show that Israel's war crimes are backed by Azure? As a Microsoft worker, I refuse to be involved in this genocide," said Lopez.
Despite being sent out, Lopez's demonstration did not stop there. He sent emails to thousands of Microsoft employees and voiced his disappointment with Microsoft's actions. The company claims that Azure is not harming people in Gaza.
"The leader rejected our claim that Azure technology was used to target or injure civilians in Gaza," Lopez said in his email. Those who have noticed, know that this is a big lie."
Lopez also explained that Azure kept a lot of data in the cloud. Most of the data is thought to have come from illegal mass surveillance. Lopez believes that this technology can be used as an attempt to justify eradicating Palestinians.
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On the other hand, Microsoft has responded to employee criticism by conducting an internal review using an external firm. This review was carried out to assess how the technology, including Azure, was used during the conflict in Gaza.
Microsoft also briefly stated that their relationship with the Israeli Ministry of Defense was only 'standard commercial relations'. Following up on the results of the review, Microsoft stated that they found no evidence that Microsoft's Azure and AI technologies were used to harm people in Gaza.
This is not the first time Microsoft has received a demonstration at a major event. While holding its 50th birthday event a few weeks ago, two Microsoft employees disrupted the speech of Microsoft CEO AI Mustafa Suleyman, Microsoft Founder Bill Gates, former CEO Steve Ballmer, and Nadella.
Just like this demonstration, the two workers asked Microsoft to stop helping Israel and stop using AI to help carry out genocide. Now, the two employees have been discontinued from Microsoft.
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