Overview

• Protests organized by No Azure for Apartheid interrupted keynotes at Microsoft’s Build 2025 conference for two consecutive days, demanding an end to Azure contracts with Israel’s military.
• Microsoft firmware engineer Joe Lopez and a Palestinian tech worker called out alleged complicity in Israeli war crimes during speeches by Satya Nadella and Jay Parikh, respectively.
• Microsoft maintains that internal and third-party reviews found no evidence of its technologies being used to harm people in Gaza and describes its relationship with Israel’s Ministry of Defense as standard and compliant with ethics guidelines.
• During one protest, Microsoft’s Head of AI Security accidentally revealed confidential Walmart AI plans, adding to scrutiny over the company’s governance and information security practices.
• The protests reflect escalating tech-worker activism over AI ethics and human rights, building on prior incidents, including firings and disruptions at Microsoft events earlier this year.