Microsoft Terminates Employees Following Protest in President's Office

Redmond, Washington – Microsoft has confirmed the termination of at least two employees, Riki Fameli and Anna Hattle, following their involvement in a protest that led to them breaching the office of company President Brad Smith and refusing to leave. The incident, which occurred earlier this week at Microsoft's Redmond headquarters, was part of a larger demonstration by the group "No Azure for Apartheid," protesting the tech giant's alleged ties to the Israeli government and military.

The employees were reportedly fired for violating the company's code of conduct. According to a statement from Microsoft, "These incidents are inconsistent with the expectations we maintain for our employees." The company is cooperating with law enforcement regarding the matter.

The protest on Tuesday saw seven individuals arrested on suspicion of trespassing, resisting arrest, and obstruction after they entered Smith's office and refused to vacate the premises. Smith stated that the activists had "stormed a building, occupied an office, locked other people out of the office, [and] planted listening devices in crude form using phones."

The "No Azure for Apartheid" group, which includes Microsoft workers, has been vocal in its demand for the company to end its direct and indirect support to Israel, specifically regarding the use of its Azure cloud computing technology by the Israeli Defense Forces. One fired employee, quoted in a news release from the group, stated, "We are a few among thousands of workers who refuse to let their labor be used for the mass murder of Palestinians."

The firings at Microsoft follow a similar incident last year where Google terminated 28 employees for protests, some of which involved breaching the office of Google Cloud CEO Thomas Kurian. Microsoft had previously announced an independent investigation into how its Azure technology is used by the Israeli military. The company's actions underscore a growing tension between tech corporations and employee activism concerning geopolitical issues.