Microsoft has reportedly terminated two software engineers who disrupted its high-profile Copilot and 50th anniversary event last week to protest the company’s alleged ties to the Israeli military.
The employees — Ibtihal Aboussad and Vaniya Agrawal — were dismissed on Monday following separate interruptions during the event, CNBC reported. Aboussad interrupted Microsoft AI CEO Mustafa Suleyman’s keynote speech, shouting that he had “blood on his hands.” Later the same day, Agrawal shouted “shame on all of you” during a panel discussion featuring CEO Satya Nadella, former CEO Steve Ballmer, and company co-founder Bill Gates.
In an internal memo, Microsoft told Aboussad that she could have raised her concerns “confidentially with your manager, or with Global Employee Relations,” but instead “chose to intentionally disrupt” the event.