Microsoft fires staff over Gaza vigil for Palestinians

Microsoft has terminated two employees who organised a vigil for Palestinians killed in Gaza, an event held without official company approval. 

The employees, part of the "No Azure for Apartheid" coalition, arranged the lunchtime vigil on Thursday at Microsoft’s Redmond, Washington, headquarters to honour those killed amid the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict.

The two, Abdelrahman Mohamed and Hossam Nasr, were informed of their termination by phone several hours after the vigil. Mohamed, a researcher and data scientist, said the event was similar to other Microsoft-supported initiatives for people in need, and emphasized that many employees at the company have lost family or loved ones in Gaza.

 "Microsoft really failed to provide a space for us to come together and honour those who can no longer speak for themselves," he said.

Microsoft confirmed Friday that some employees had been dismissed "in accordance with internal policy," though it did not provide specific details. Nasr claimed the purpose of the vigil was to honor Palestinian victims and to highlight what he views as Microsoft’s “complicity” in the violence, due to its technology being used by the Israeli military.

Nasr's dismissal was shared on social media by the group Stop Antisemitism, over an hour before Microsoft informed him. The group had previously called on CEO Satya Nadella to address Nasr’s public criticism of Israel. Mohamed, originally from Egypt, must now find another job within two months to transfer his work visa.

This incident at Microsoft follows a similar situation at Google, which earlier this year dismissed over 50 employees involved in protests over “Project Nimbus,” a $1.2 billion contract signed with Amazon and Google to supply cloud and AI services to the Israeli government. 

In its statement, Microsoft reiterated its commitment to a “professional and respectful work environment,” but cited privacy considerations as the reason for not disclosing further details.