Indian-origin Microsoft techie publicly confronts Bill Gates, Satya Nadella over ties to Israel

An Indian-origin Microsoft employee disrupted the company’s 50th anniversary celebration last week, challenging top executives over the tech giant’s reported involvement in supplying artificial intelligence tools to the Israeli military amid the ongoing conflict in Gaza.

The protest unfolded at Microsoft’s headquarters in Redmond, Washington, where past and present leaders—including Bill Gates, Steve Ballmer, Satya Nadella, and new AI CEO Mustafa Suleyman—gathered together on stage for a rare appearance.

Vaniya Agrawal, who joined Microsoft as a software engineer in September 2023, interrupted the event to spotlight the company's alleged contributions to Israeli military operations. During her protest, Agrawal accused Microsoft of enabling violence in Gaza, shouting, “50,000 Palestinians in Gaza have been murdered with Microsoft technology. How dare you? Shame on all of you for celebrating on their blood.”

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Agrawal had previously submitted her resignation, with her final working day set for April 11, but remained in limbo due to a lack of formal acknowledgment from the company.

Likewise, another employee Aboussad also took to the stage during the event, confronting Suleyman during his keynote speech. She accused Microsoft of hypocrisy, citing the company’s claim to develop AI “for good” while allegedly supporting the Israeli military with AI capabilities.

“Fifty thousand people have died, and Microsoft powers this genocide in our region,” she said, before tossing a keffiyeh scarf—a symbol of solidarity with Palestine—onto the stage. Suleyman responded calmly, saying, “Thank you for your protest, I hear you,” though Aboussad continued to condemn the company before being escorted away.

Both Agrawal and Aboussad have since resigned from Microsoft. In a message sent to colleagues, Agrawal explained her decision to speak out publicly, stating, “You may have seen me stand up earlier today to call out Satya during his speech... Here’s why I decided to leave the company, and why I spoke up today.”

An earlier investigation by the Associated Press revealed that AI models developed by Microsoft, along with OpenAI, were used in Israeli military programs to assist in identifying bombing targets in Gaza and Lebanon.

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Agrawal, who previously worked at Amazon and held various non-tech roles—such as medical assistant, pharmacy technician, and tea consultant—earned her Software Engineering degree from Arizona State University. She is also a recipient of the Grace Hopper Scholarship, which supports women in technology.

In recent months, several Silicon Valley firms and academic institutions have come under fire for maintaining ties with Israel during a conflict that, according to international organizations, has claimed over 50,000 Palestinian lives and displaced more than 2.3 million people since October 2023.