Moneycontrol PRO
HomeTechnologyMicrosoft headquarters briefly locked down as protestors crash company president's office

Microsoft headquarters briefly locked down as protestors crash company president's office

The escalation comes after months of demonstrations against Microsoft’s contracts with Israel. A Guardian investigation recently reported that Israel uses Microsoft services to store data from millions of Palestinian phone calls each day across Gaza and the West Bank.

August 27, 2025 / 10:33 IST
Microsoft

Microsoft’s Redmond campus was briefly locked down on Monday after activists forced their way into company president Brad Smith’s office. The group, calling itself No Azure for Apartheid, livestreamed the sit-in on Twitch, unfurling banners and chanting: “Brad Smith, you can’t hide, you’re supporting genocide.”

According to The Verge, the action involved both current and former Microsoft employees, some of whom had previously been dismissed for workplace activism. The protesters also issued a mock legal summons accusing Smith of “crimes against humanity.”

The escalation comes after months of demonstrations against Microsoft’s contracts with Israel. A Guardian investigation recently reported that Israel uses Microsoft services to store data from millions of Palestinian phone calls each day across Gaza and the West Bank.

The Redmond protest echoes similar tactics at Google last year. In April 2024, employees staged sit-ins in New York and California offices, with five entering Google Cloud CEO Thomas Kurian’s office for nine hours. Wearing “Googler against genocide” shirts, they scrawled demands on his whiteboard before being arrested. Google later dismissed 28 workers involved. Their protests focused on Project Nimbus, a $1.2 billion cloud and AI deal with Israel, shared with Amazon.

For Microsoft, the confrontation signals rising internal unrest around its Israel contracts, particularly as cloud computing becomes integral to surveillance and military operations.

Invite your friends and family to sign up for MC Tech 3, our daily newsletter that breaks down the biggest tech and startup stories of the day

MC Tech Desk Read the latest and trending tech news—stay updated on AI, gadgets, cybersecurity, software updates, smartphones, blockchain, space tech, and the future of innovation.
first published: Aug 27, 2025 10:33 am

Discover the latest Business News, Sensex, and Nifty updates. Obtain Personal Finance insights, tax queries, and expert opinions on Moneycontrol or download the Moneycontrol App to stay updated!

Subscribe to Tech Newsletters

  • On Saturdays

    Find the best of Al News in one place, specially curated for you every weekend.

  • Daily-Weekdays

    Stay on top of the latest tech trends and biggest startup news.

Advisory Alert: It has come to our attention that certain individuals are representing themselves as affiliates of Moneycontrol and soliciting funds on the false promise of assured returns on their investments. We wish to reiterate that Moneycontrol does not solicit funds from investors and neither does it promise any assured returns. In case you are approached by anyone making such claims, please write to us at grievanceofficer@nw18.com or call on 02268882347