In a speech delivered by Mustafa Suleyman, the CEO of Microsoft AI, employee Ibtihal expressed profound concern regarding the company’s involvement in the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict, specifically highlighting the suffering of the Palestinian people amidst what she described as genocide. Ibtihal, a software engineer at Microsoft for 3.5 years, felt compelled to speak out after witnessing the company’s unethical practices, including suppressing dissent and failing to address the concerns of its Arab, Palestinian, and Muslim employees.
She described the severe human rights violations occurring in Gaza, referencing indiscriminate attacks on civilians and the role of Microsoft in supporting the Israeli military through contracts that allegedly empower surveillance and targeting of Palestinians. Ibtihal stressed her disillusionment with Microsoft’s actions, stating that she never intended to participate in work that could facilitate such atrocities.
The speech called for collective action among Microsoft employees to advocate for the cessation of contracts with the Israeli military and encouraged employees to raise their voices against complicity in human rights violations. Ibtihal emphasized the importance of speaking up, urging her colleagues to join movements like the boycott, divestment, and sanctions (BDS) campaign to hold the company accountable for its role in exacerbating violence in the region. She concluded with a call for ethical responsibility within the tech industry, urging Microsoft to align its practices with human rights values and discontinue support for military actions that harm civilians.
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