Microsoft reiterates Israel probe pledge after in-office protest

Microsoft has tried to quell the demonstrations, but employees, sometimes joined by outside supporters, have continue to agitate

Microsoft Corp. President Brad Smith reiterated an earlier pledge to investigate reports that Israel used its technology to select bombing targets, but he decried the actions of protesters who occupied his office demanding that the company sever ties with the country.

Smith spoke Tuesday at an impromptu press conference at his Redmond, Washington, workspace, just hours after activists had staged a protest there — chanting, hanging banners and briefly attempting to barricade a door with furniture. It wasn’t clear how the protesters got into a secure facility, but Smith said they had attempted to get floor plans of the building.

Police detained seven people who had entered the complex that houses the offices of senior executives, said Jill Green, a spokesperson for the Redmond Police Department. Microsoft subsequently locked down the building, only letting employees in to fetch their belongings.

“We need to uphold our human rights standards and we will,” Smith said. “We need to sustain the dialogue with our employees, and we are committed to doing that. It’s essential that we maintain the security and safety of our campus and our facilities. We’ll do that as well.”

An employee group called No Azure for Apartheid says that by selling software and artificial intelligence tools to Israel’s military, the company’s Azure cloud service is profiting from the deaths of civilians. Microsoft denies that, but the protests threaten to dent its reputation as a thoughtful employer and reasonable actor on the world stage.

Microsoft has tried to quell the demonstrations, but employees, sometimes joined by outside supporters, have continue to agitate. Last week, 20 people were arrested on a plaza at Microsoft’s headquarters after disregarding orders by police to disperse. The police dismantled their makeshift barricades and led them away. They faced charges including trespassing, malicious mischief, resisting arrest and obstruction.