During Microsoft’s 50th anniversary event on Friday, a protest interrupted AI CEO Mustafa Suleyman’s speech. A Microsoft employee, Ibtihal Aboussad, disrupted his presentation while he was talking about Copilot, the company’s AI assistant. She shouted, “Mustafa, shame on you,” and walked toward the stage. Suleyman stopped speaking as she continued protesting.
Employee Accuses Microsoft of Supporting Genocide
Aboussad accused Microsoft of helping the Israeli military through its AI technology. “You claim that you care about using AI for good but Microsoft sells AI weapons to the Israeli military. Fifty-thousand people have died and Microsoft powers this genocide in our region,” she said. She also added, “Stop using AI for genocide.”
Microsoft AI CEO Mustafa Suleyman was interrupted during a presentation by a protestor slamming Microsoft for AI tools used by military forces involved in the war in Gaza. https://t.co/Um7pP1rbDm pic.twitter.com/u6pfYMArxz
— Variety (@Variety) April 4, 2025
Suleyman replied, “Thank you for your protest, I hear you.” Aboussad continued shouting that he and “all of Microsoft” had blood on their hands. Before security removed her, she threw a keffiyeh scarf on the stage, a known symbol of Palestinian support.
someone suddenly started shouting during Mustafa Suleyman's speech at Microsoft's 50th Anniversary Copilot live event, where Bill Gates and Steve Ballmer were also in the audience. pic.twitter.com/9M0ebtpoNZ
— G (@beforeagi) April 4, 2025
Second Protest Interrupts Gates, Nadella, and Ballmer
Another protester, Vaniya Agrawal, also disrupted a different part of the event. She interrupted while Bill Gates, Steve Ballmer, and current CEO Satya Nadella were on stage. It was their first public appearance together since 2014.
Report Links Microsoft and OpenAI to Israeli Airstrikes
Earlier this year, the Associated Press reported that AI models developed by Microsoft and OpenAI were used by the Israeli military. The report highlighted a 2023 airstrike in which the Israeli military mistakenly hit a vehicle, killing three Lebanese children and their grandmother.
Employees Previously Protested Internally
In February, five employees protested Microsoft’s military contracts during a meeting with Nadella. Security removed them from the meeting. That protest remained internal, but the latest one occurred during a live event broadcast.
Microsoft Responds to the Incident
Microsoft issued a statement on Friday. It said, “We provide many avenues for all voices to be heard… Importantly, we ask that this be done in a way that does not cause a business disruption. If that happens, we ask participants to relocate. We are committed to ensuring our business practices uphold the highest standards.”
The company did not clarify if it would take more action against the protesters. Aboussad told the Associated Press that neither she nor Agrawal had received any communication from Microsoft. However, both lost access to their work accounts after the protest and could not log back in, which might suggest they were fired.
