For the second consecutive day, Microsoft’s Build developer conference has found itself at the center of a protest, as tensions surrounding the company’s ties to Israel continue to escalate. During a keynote address by Jay Parikh, head of CoreAI, an unexpected interruption occurred when a Palestinian tech worker took the stage to voice his concerns regarding Microsoft’s contracts with the Israeli government.
“Jay! My people are suffering!” the protester exclaimed, calling for an end to Microsoft’s collaboration with Israel. His passionate plea, which included the rallying cry “Free, free Palestine!” was met with immediate action as security personnel escorted him from the venue. Hossam Nasr, an organizer from the protest group No Azure for Apartheid, confirmed that the protester was supported by their group, which has been actively coordinating demonstrations at Microsoft events.
This disruption follows a similar incident the previous day, when Microsoft employee Joe Lopez interrupted the opening keynote featuring CEO Satya Nadella. Lopez, alongside a former Google employee, raised their voices against Microsoft’s cloud and AI contracts with the Israeli government. In a subsequent email to thousands of colleagues, Lopez urged his peers to break their silence, stating, “If we continue to remain silent, we will pay for that silence with our humanity.”
As Parikh resumed his presentation, he appeared momentarily flustered but continued to discuss the company’s advancements in AI development. Having joined Microsoft last October, Parikh has been tasked with spearheading the creation of tools and platforms for the next generation of applications, drawing from his previous experience at Meta.
These protests come on the heels of Microsoft’s recent announcement regarding an internal review of its technology’s role in the ongoing conflict in Gaza. The company maintains that its relationship with Israel’s Ministry of Defense is strictly commercial and asserts that there is no evidence of its technologies being misused to inflict harm.
Notably, this is not the first instance of dissent within Microsoft’s ranks. Last month, two former employees disrupted a 50th-anniversary event, with one labeling AI CEO Mustafa Suleyman a “war profiteer” and demanding an end to the use of AI in military operations.
