'Shame on you': Microsoft's 50th anniversary event interrupted over pro-Palestinian protest by employees

A pro-Palestinian protester was escorted away by security as she interrupted Microsoft AI CEO Mustafa Suleyman's presentation. (AP photo)

Microsoft AI CEO Mustafa Suleyman was interrupted during a presentation at the software giant’s headquarters with a pro-Palestinian protest by Microsoft employees on the occasion of the company's 50th anniversary celebration.

The incident is the latest in backlash over the tech industry’s work to supply artificial intelligence technology to the Israeli military amid Gaza conflict.

The protest began when Microsoft AI CEO Mustafa Suleyman was presenting product updates and a long-term vision for the company's AI assistant product, Copilot, to an audience that included Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates and former CEO Steve Ballmer, AP reported.

A Microsoft employee disrupted the companys 50th anniversary event to protest its use of AI.Shame on you, said Microsoft employee Ibtihal Aboussad, speaking directly to Microsoft AI CEO Mustafa Suleyman. You are a war profiteer. Stop using AI for genocide. Stop using AI pic.twitter.com/PdIqa6TSHo
Ramy Abdu| (@RamAbdu) April 4, 2025

“Mustafa, shame on you,” shouted Microsoft employee Ibtihal Aboussad as she walked toward the stage and Suleyman paused his speech.

“You claim that you care about using AI for good but Microsoft sells AI weapons to the Israeli military. Fifty-thousand people have died and Microsoft powers this genocide in our region.”

“Thank you for your protest, I hear you,” Suleyman responded.

Aboussad continued, shouting that Suleyman and “all of Microsoft” had blood on their hands. She also threw onto the stage a keffiyeh scarf, which has become a symbol of support for Palestinian people, before being escorted out of the event.

A second protester, Microsoft employee Vaniya Agrawal, interrupted another part of the celebration during which Gates, Ballmer and current CEO Satya Nadella were on stage — the first public gathering since 2014 of the three men who have been Microsoft's CEO.

An investigation by The Associated Press revealed earlier this year that AI models from Microsoft and OpenAI had been used as part of an Israeli military program to select bombing targets during the recent wars in Gaza and Lebanon. The story also contained details of an errant Israeli airstrike in 2023 that struck a vehicle carrying members of a Lebanese family, killing three young girls and their grandmother.

Earlier in February, five Microsoft employees were ejected from a meeting with CEO Satya Nadella for protesting the contracts. While the February event was an internal meeting, Friday's protest was far more public — a livestreamed showcase of the company's past and future. Some employees also rallied outside the event on Friday.

“We provide many avenues for all voices to be heard,” said a statement from the company on Friday. “Importantly, we ask that this be done in a way that does not cause a business disruption. If that happens, we ask participants to relocate. We are committed to ensuring our business practices uphold the highest standards.”

Microsoft declined to say whether it was taking further action. Aboussad told the AP she hasn't yet heard anything from the company but she and Agrawal both lost access to their work accounts after the protest and have not been able to log back in, a possible indication that they were being fired.

(With inputs from AP)