Microsoft Defends Firing Workers Over Gaza Protest; Responds To Allegations Over Israel Misusing Its Tech

Microsoft President Brad Smith has made it clear to the employees that those who joined Gaza-related protests inside his office would not be allowed to keep their jobs. Speaking at an internal meeting on Thursday, he defended the company's decision to fire four staff members involved in an August sit-in protest at his office, according to a Business Insider report.

The firing of workers came amid ongoing internal protests by several employees urging Microsoft to end its ties with the Israeli military as the war in Gaza continues. Smith also assured that Microsoft has hired law firm Covington & Burling to investigate the claims that its tech was used for mass surveillance on Palestinians by Israel.

"Let me say this, anybody who is smart enough to get a job at Microsoft is smart enough to know that you don't get to storm in and break into buildings and occupy other people's offices and keep your job at Microsoft," Smith was quoted as saying by Business Insider.

The protesters "didn't just protest," Smith said, as they “trespassed” on private property. Riki Fameli, a former Microsoft engineer who was fired after the sit-in, told Business Insider about the incident that Smith's remarks framed the protest in a way that made it easy for company leadership to ignore dissenting voices.

"They always try to direct us to use the proper channels. What we've found over the past year is that the proper channels are dead ends,” Fameli said, the report mentioned.

During the meeting, Smith said Microsoft is committed to human rights. He said the company is reviewing claims that its technology was used for mass surveillance of Palestinians. Additionally, the US tech giant is working on a new system that will allow its employees to report concerns if they believe that a customer is misusing the company's technology.

He further referenced an article published by The Guardian in August, in which it was alleged that Israeli Defence Forces relied on Microsoft's Azure cloud for expansive surveillance of Palestinians.

"That story provided new information to those of us at Microsoft, information that we did not have before," Smith said. He added that Microsoft does not permit its customers to use its services for mass surveillance of civilians.