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Microsoft, a company owned by Indian-born Satya Nadella, has fired two of its employees for organizing an unapproved protest through a vigil.
NEW DELHI: Microsoft, a company owned by Indian-born Satya Nadella, has fired two of its employees for organizing an unapproved protest through a vigil at the company’s Redmond, Washington, headquarters in remembrance of those killed in Gaza in the ongoing war against Hamas. This move is more appropriately described as controversial than anything else. The workers, Hossam Nasr and Abdelrahman Mohamed, were both part of the “No Azure for Apartheid” alliance, which is against Microsoft selling cloud computing technologies to the Israeli government.
The purpose of the Thursday afternoon Vigil was to provide a forum for staff members to express their sorrow over the deaths of loved ones in the Gaza conflict. “Microsoft really failed to have the space for us where we can come together and share our grief and honor the memories of people who can no longer speak for themselves,” said Mohamed, an Egyptian data scientist and researcher.
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With the ongoing war in Palestine, tensions around the world are running high, which could lead to more protests and demonstrations over different political issues. This backdrop highlights just how important the employees’ actions were and points to the growing global activism related to the conflict.
A few hours after the vigil began, the firings were confirmed over the phone late Thursday. Nasr said that he was notified of his termination on social media by the watchdog group “Stop Antisemitism” before receiving any formal word from Microsoft. Because of Nasr’s vocal opinions toward Israel, this group had previously demanded action against him.
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Microsoft recognized the terminations in their official statement, noting that they were in conformity with internal rules. However, they declined to elaborate, citing concerns about confidentiality and privacy. The business stated that it places a strong emphasis on its dedication to upholding a courteous and professional workplace.
Both workers stressed that their vigil was comparable to other authorized Microsoft community service programs. However, organizations that disagreed with their message criticized their activities. The vigil’s goal, according to Nasr, was to “honor the victims of the Palestinian genocide in Gaza and to call attention to Microsoft’s complicity in the genocide” because the Israeli military was using its technology.
Echoing similar steps taken by other internet firms, the episode has rekindled conversations about how corporations respond to employee political activism. Amid protests against its role in a $1.2 billion contract with the Israeli government, Google laid off more than 50 employees earlier this year.
