Microsoft employees disrupted the Microsoft Build keynote speech by shouting 'Liberate Palestine!' and sent out emails to the company claiming that the Microsoft report was a lie



At Microsoft's annual developer conference, Microsoft Build 2025, held on May 20, 2025, a Microsoft employee stood up during CEO Satya Nadella's keynote speech and protested, 'Liberate Palestine! Is Microsoft killing Palestinians?'

Microsoft employee disrupts Satya Nadella's keynote with 'Free Palestine' protest | The Verge
https://www.theverge.com/news/669362/microsoft-employee-protest-build-conference-satya-nadella

'Free Palestine' Protester Interrupts Satya Nadella During Microsoft's Build Conference
https://gizmodo.com/free-palestine-protester-interrupts-satya-nadella-during-microsofts-build-conference-2000604173

Microsoft confirms it's providing AI and cloud services to Israeli military for war in Gaza - DCD
https://www.datacenterdynamics.com/en/news/microsoft-confirms-its-providing-ai-and-cloud-services-to-israeli-military-for-war-in-gaza/

Joe Lopez, who has worked on the Azure Hardware Systems team for four years, protested at the keynote speech and was picked up by security guards in the following movie.



In the video of the keynote released by Microsoft, you can hear Lopez shouting at about the 4-minute mark. CEO Nadella is momentarily at a loss for words, but continues his keynote speech without stopping.

Microsoft Build 2025 | Satya Nadella Opening Keynote - YouTube


After security escorted him from the venue, Lopez wrote an email to thousands of Microsoft employees saying, 'Management denies our allegations that Azure technology is being used to target or harm civilians in Gaza, but we know this to be a brazen lie.'



Microsoft has previously said it works with the Israeli government to 'protect the nation's cyberspace from external threats.' After the October 7, 2023 attack, the company also revealed that it provided the Israeli government with 'exceptional access beyond the terms of our commercial contract' to 'assist in the hostage rescue.'

However, according to an investigation by the British daily newspaper The Guardian , Microsoft's Azure cloud computing platform is used throughout Israel's air force, ground forces, navy and intelligence departments, and is reportedly used not only for administrative purposes but also to support combat and intelligence activities. Microsoft also reportedly provided the Israeli military with access to OpenAI's GPT-4 model after OpenAI changed its policy in January 2024 to prohibit work with military and intelligence agencies.

In response to these Microsoft moves, current and former Microsoft employees have formed an internal group called 'No Azure for Apartheid' to protest the company's contract with the Israeli government. In October 2024, two employees were fired for holding a memorial rally for Palestinian refugees at the company's headquarters. In February 2025, five Microsoft employees were excluded from a meeting with CEO Satya Nadella for protesting the company's contract with the Israeli military. Lopez, who protested during the keynote speech this time, appears to have been a member of this 'No Azure for Apartheid' group.

In response to these developments, on May 15, 2025, Microsoft acknowledged in a blog post that it was providing the Israeli Ministry of Defense with 'software, professional services, Azure cloud services, and Azure AI services, including language translation.'

Microsoft Statement on the Issues Relating to Technology Services in Israel and Gaza - Microsoft On the Issues
https://blogs.microsoft.com/on-the-issues/2025/05/15/statement-technology-israel-gaza/



The company issued a statement in response to 'concerns from employees and the public,' saying that after an internal investigation and external fact-checking, it has 'found no evidence that Microsoft's Azure and AI technology have been used to target or harm people in the Gaza conflict.'

However, an investigation by Israeli media outlet +972 Magazine argues that Microsoft is involved in all of Israel's major military infrastructure, and the Associated Press reported that 'it has been confirmed that Israel has used AI models, including from Microsoft, in warfare.'

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