Two Microsoft employees who were fired last week after organizing a vigil for Palestinians killed in Gaza say the company retaliated against them for their pro-Palestinian activism.
The two, Abdo Mohamed, a researcher and data scientist, and Hossam Nasr, a software engineer, hosted the event in front of Microsoft’s headquarters in Redmond, Washington, on October 24. They were fired that same night.
“Microsoft really crumbled under pressure, internal and external, to fire me and shut down and retaliate against our event, not for policy violations, simply because we dared to humanize Palestinians, and simply because we dared to say that Microsoft should Not to be complicit with an army that is plausibly accused of genocide,” said Nasr, who has been criticized on social media and in internal Microsoft employee communication groups about their support for Palestine.
Both employees were members of No Azure for Apartheid, a group of Microsoft workers protesting the company’s sale of its cloud computing technology to Israel.
the group demands Microsoft cuts all Azure contracts and associations with the Israeli military and government, disclose all ties to Israel, call for an immediate and permanent ceasefire in the Gaza conflict, and protect and defend employees’ freedom of expression.
Microsoft denied that the two, originally from Egypt, were fired for their activism. “We remain dedicated to maintaining a professional and respectful work environment and provide many avenues for all voices to be heard. But more importantly, we ask that this be done in a way that does not disrupt business operations and is aligned with our company policies and behavioral expectations,” a spokesperson said.
“We do not allow employees to use devices such as megaphones and speakers in public areas to disrupt the work of their colleagues. We made our policies clear in advance with the event organizers and instructed that this meeting be held on public property. “The organizers chose to ignore this guidance and were fired.”
But Mohamed and Nasr reject accusations that the vigil was disruptive and say it was in line with Microsoft policies. They say the event, which sought to raise money for humanitarian efforts in Gaza, followed the same procedures as other employee charity events held regularly by other employee groups. The vigil was organized outdoors during lunchtime on the Microsoft headquarters campus, with a microphone for speakers and some chairs and signs set up for attendees.
According There is no blue for apartheid, More than 200 employees attended the vigil in person and virtually..
Nasr and Mohamed said they had communicated with Microsoft in advance and addressed any concerns that arose ahead of the lunchtime event, the purpose of which they said was to honor Palestinian lives lost in the conflict and draw attention to the ties of Microsoft with Israel. They said police were called to the event, but they only observed it and that only one microphone was used as a speaker.
“At no point did they say that dismissal was on the table or that even disciplinary consequences were on the table,” Nasr told The Guardian.
Both questioned how it happened that Nasr’s dismissal was published by the group Stop Antisemitism before themselves. They were notified that they had been fired. Nasr provided a call log showing that he received a call from Microsoft at 9 p.m. on October 24, while the group posted on social media that Nasr was “no longer at Microsoft” an hour and a half earlier.
Nasr also alleged double standards at the company, arguing that he had suffered repeated internal investigations and reprimands for comments about Gaza he had posted in internal Microsoft employee groups, while publications He flagged him internally for racism or personal attacks against him did not lead to any disciplinary action.
He pointed to posts suggesting that he and another employee are “Hamas members or simply supporters.” As far as he knows, this never resulted in reprimands. He also said Human Resources opened an investigation into a post of his that said: “With or without your sympathy, Palestinians will achieve the dignity, freedom, respect and liberation they deserve, everywhere from the Jordan River to the sea.” Mediterranean. .” However, he reported, the company did not act when another employee wrote: “From the river to the sea, Israel will exist forever.”
A Microsoft representative declined to comment on specific examples.
The group No Azure for Apartheid characterized the layoffs as retaliation and alleged that Microsoft has intimidated Palestinian voices. The group disputed Microsoft’s claims of policy violations by employees and is demanding their reinstatement and an explanation for the leak of their firing before the employees themselves were notified.
A Palestinian Microsoft employee who asked to remain anonymous for fear of retaliation told The Guardian that Microsoft’s internal forum has been filled with messages in recent days expressing anger over the layoffs. They also accused Microsoft of applying double standards when it comes to enforcing harassment and behavior policies towards Palestinian voices.
“It was unfair and very intentional as a message to the community to silence the loudest voice of our community,” said another Palestinian Microsoft worker who asked to remain anonymous.
A Microsoft spokesperson had no comment on the ‘No Azure for Apartheid’ campaign, its lawsuits or accusations of bias.
The spokesperson added that the company was investigating the allegation that Stop Antisemitism published a social media post about the layoffs before employees were informed.
A report from the Israeli-Palestinian media +972 Magazine reported that the Israeli military has increased its purchase of Microsoft Azure services since October 2023 and for years had been the leading cloud service provider for Israel. The company has also founded Several Israeli startups providing services to the military.
“Microsoft refuses to listen to the demands of its workers,” Mohamed said. “This is what is happening inside Microsoft. People report them and even refuse to participate and discuss the serious concerns that arise with the use of these technologies.”
American tech companies doing business with Israel have faced growing domestic unrest over the past year. In April, Google fired more than 50 workers in response to an outcry over the company’s military ties to the country.