Microsoft fires two employees over breaking into its president’s office

In a significant move, Microsoft announced the termination of two of its employees who unlawfully entered the office of President Brad Smith earlier this week. This action follows a demonstration by seven current and former employees at the company’s headquarters in Redmond, Washington, where they protested against the alleged use of Microsoft’s software by the Israeli military during its operations in Gaza. The group, known as No Azure for Apartheid, managed to gain access to Smith’s office, calling for the tech giant to cease both direct and indirect support for Israel. According to the group, the dismissed employees, Riki Fameli and Anna Hattle, were fired due to their involvement in this incident. A Microsoft spokesperson confirmed the terminations, stating, "Two employees were terminated today following serious breaches of company policies and our code of conduct." The spokesperson highlighted that such unauthorized access to executive offices is unacceptable, and the company is collaborating with law enforcement as it investigates the incident. Following the protest, Smith reported that the demonstrators obstructed access to the premises, allegedly set up listening devices disguised as phones, and refused to vacate the site until law enforcement intervened. No Azure for Apartheid describes itself as a collective of Microsoft employees advocating against the company’s involvement in what they term Israeli apartheid and genocide. Earlier this month, reports indicated that the Israeli military had utilized Microsoft’s Azure cloud services to store communications from Palestinians. In response, Microsoft has initiated a third-party investigation to determine if its technology has been misused for surveillance purposes. Smith stated that the company is committed to uncovering how its services are being utilized. The protests have escalated recently, with Smith noting that there have been multiple demonstrations across the Microsoft campus, resulting in numerous arrests, including individuals who have never been employed by the company. The protests have been part of a broader movement, with No Azure for Apartheid conducting several demonstrations throughout the year, including at major events like Microsoft’s Build developer conference. In a related context, Microsoft’s actions come on the heels of Google’s decision last year to terminate 28 employees following protests linked to labor conditions and the company’s contracts with the Israeli government for cloud computing services. This incident further illustrates the growing tensions within tech companies regarding their corporate responsibilities and ethical implications of their partnerships.