Microsoft engineer resigns over cloud business from Israeli military

A prominent engineer at Microsoft has decided to leave the company after a long tenure, citing moral objections to the firm's ongoing cloud service agreements with the Israeli military. Scott Sutfin-Glowski, who held the position of principal software engineer for 13 years, notified his colleagues that his final week at Microsoft would be this week. In his resignation letter, Sutfin-Glowski expressed deep discomfort with what he described as complicity in potential atrocities. He referenced a report from February by the Associated Press, which revealed that the Israeli military maintained at least 635 active subscriptions to Microsoft services. Despite Microsoft’s refusal to comment on the matter, Sutfin-Glowski emphasized that many of these subscriptions are still active. His departure comes shortly after U.S. President Donald Trump announced that Israel and Hamas had agreed to the initial steps of a peace plan amidst ongoing conflict. Reports indicate that the U.S. is deploying around 200 troops to Israel to assist in maintaining a ceasefire. The situation has sparked considerable unrest among Microsoft employees, who have been vocal about their disapproval of the company’s ties to the Israeli military. Protests have intensified, leading to the termination of five employees. Earlier in September, Microsoft announced it would cease providing certain services to a division of the Israeli Ministry of Defense, although details of this decision remain unclear. Sutfin-Glowski has criticized the company for restricting communication channels that would allow employees to voice concerns regarding the military's use of Microsoft technology. Meanwhile, outside the Microsoft headquarters in Redmond, Washington, demonstrators gathered to call for the company to sever its ties with Israel, supported by a collective of over 1,500 employees who have petitioned for a ceasefire. In his letter, Sutfin-Glowski lamented the ongoing humanitarian crisis, noting that while a ceasefire may have been established, severe human rights violations and acts of violence persist.