microsoft protests — Microsoft fires two employee protesters who occupied its president’s office.
Microsoft fires two employee protesters who occupied its president’s office
microsoft protests
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Microsoft has fired two employees that were involved in a sit-in protest in vice chair and president Brad Smith’s office.
Details of the Protest: Microsoft fires two employee protesters who occupied
microsoft protests: key context and updates inside.
Software engineers Riki Fameli and Anna Hattle were both dismissed today, after being part of a group of seven protesters that managed to get inside Smith’s office in Building 34 yesterday.
During the protest, Microsoft was forced to temporarily lock down its executive building. The protesters live streamed themselves on Twitch entering Smith’s office and demanded that the company cut ties with the Israeli government.
Arrests and Consequences
Both Fameli and Hattle were arrested during the incident, alongside former Microsoft employees Vaniya Agrawal, Hossam Nasr, and Joe Lopez. A former Google employee and another tech worker were also arrested.
An unnamed Microsoft spokesperson told GeekWire that the two employees were terminated “following serious breaches of company policies and our code of conduct.” Microsoft refused to provide an attributable statement to The Verge.
Brad Smith’s Response
Hours after the protesters were arrested, Brad Smith held an emergency press conference in his office. Seated on the edge of his desk, Smith addressed a group of reporters and viewers on a YouTube live stream.
During the press conference, Smith stated that Microsoft is “committed to ensuring its human rights principles and contractual terms of service are upheld in the Middle East.” He also mentioned that the company launched an investigation earlier this month after The Guardian reported that Microsoft’s Azure cloud platform was being used for surveillance of Palestinians.
Previous Protests
Hattle was previously arrested during protests at Microsoft’s headquarters last week, where Redmond police arrested 20 people after a group took over a plaza at Microsoft’s headquarters to protest against the company’s contracts with Israel. Protesters at Microsoft’s campus set up a “Liberated Zone” encampment and poured red paint over a Microsoft sign on campus.
Organizing Groups
The latest protests were organized by No Azure for Apartheid, a group of current and former Microsoft workers who are demanding that the company cut its ties with the Israeli government. The group has carried out a variety of protests in recent months, with the latest disruptions escalating to the homes and offices of Microsoft executives.
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Source: Original report
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Last Modified: August 28, 2025 at 9:07 am
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