It seems like only yesterday (or, more accurately, in a previous post) we were discussing Microsoft’s alleged complicity in the IDF’s actions in Gaza. And lo and behold, here we are again, as a group of protestors, including current and former employees, decided to take their frustration right to the top, occupying the office of Microsoft President Brad Smith.
According to a GeekWire article and other reports, the protestors infiltrated a building at Microsoft’s Redmond HQ and staged a sit-in inside Smith’s office. The group, calling themselves “No Azure for Apartheid,” livestreamed their protest, chanting “Free Palestine.” They even went so far as to leave a mock “court summons” for Smith, accusing him of “crimes against humanity,” as reported by FOX 13 Seattle and The Times of Israel.
The protest, which ended in seven arrests, was the latest in a series of escalating incidents. This isn’t the first time the group has made a scene. GeekWire reports that just a week prior, 20 people were arrested at a protest on campus where demonstrators poured red paint on a Microsoft sign to symbolize blood. And even more audaciously, some protestors took to kayaks on Lake Washington to protest outside the lakeside homes of Smith and CEO Satya Nadella, holding banners that read, “Microsoft Kills Kids.”
In a hastily called press conference after the incident, Brad Smith addressed the “unusual day.” He acknowledged the company is investigating reports from The Guardian that the Israeli military is using its Azure cloud platform for surveillance of Palestinians, a claim that, if true, would violate Microsoft’s own terms of service. Yet, in the same breath, he made a clear distinction between “peaceful protests” in public spaces and the disruptive acts on private property, which he said would not be tolerated.
It’s a familiar dance. The corporation makes a statement about upholding “human rights,” announces an “urgent review,” and simultaneously calls in the police and the FBI to track down protestors. One can almost hear the unsaid part of the statement: “We support freedom of expression, just as long as it doesn’t inconvenience us or our bottom line.” The protesters, however, seem to have no intention of waiting for a corporate review. They’ve made their intentions clear: no amount of dialogue or internal investigation will be enough until Microsoft completely severs its ties with the Israeli military.
