Indian-origin employee’s email to colleagues after disrupting Microsoft event: ‘Decided to leave company’

Microsoft’s 50th anniversary celebrations at its Redmond, Washington headquarters last week were disrupted by two pro-Palestine protestors. One of them – an Indian-American engineer named Vaniya Agrawal – stood up while former CEOs Bill Gates and Steve Ballmer were onstage with current CEO Satya Nadella.

“Shame on you all. You’re all hypocrites,” Agrawal told the Microsoft bosses, upset about the company’s ties with Israel. “Fifty thousand Palestinians in Gaza have been murdered with Microsoft technology. How dare you. Shame on all of you for celebrating on their blood. Cut ties with Israel,” she said.

She was escorted out of the venue before Bill Gates picked up the discussion again without addressing the interruption.

Agrawal did address the protest later. In a mass email to her Microsoft colleagues, she said that she had decided to leave the organisation and her last day would be April 11. She said her decision to resign was taken because she believes the company is complicit in supporting Israel’s military actions in Gaza through its technology, which she sees as contributing to genocide and human rights violations.

The full text of her email was published on Medium and also reviewed by Verge.

Vaniya Agrawal's email to Microsoft colleagues:

Hi all,

My name is Vaniya, and after 1.5 years as a software engineer at this company, I’ve decided to leave Microsoft. My last day is next Friday, April 11.

You may have seen me stand up earlier today to call out Satya during his speech at the Microsoft 50th anniversary.

Here’s why I decided to leave the company, and why I spoke up today.

We are witnessing a genocide

A year and a half ago, I joined Microsoft just as I started to witness the ongoing genocide of the Palestinian people by Israel, which started in 1948. I’ve seen unspeakable suffering amidst Israel’s mass human rights violations - indiscriminate carpet bombings, the targeting of hospitals and schools, and the continuation of an apartheid state - all of which have been condemned globally by the UN, ICC, and ICJ, and numerous human rights organizations. And as I write this, Israel has broken the ceasefire and resumed its full-scale genocide in Gaza. Just days ago, it was revealed that Israel killed fifteen paramedics and rescue workers in Gaza, executing them “one by one,” before burying them in the sand -- yet another horrific war crime. Meanwhile, our labor powers this genocide, and I cannot, in good conscience, be part of a company that participates in this violent injustice.

We are complicit

Like most, I joined Microsoft believing in its mission to “empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more.” I believed in its “commitment to respecting and promoting human rights.” I believed that Microsoft was dedicated to philanthropy and promoting fundamental rights around the world.

But, over the past 1.5 years, I’ve grown more aware of Microsoft’s growing role in the military-industrial complex. Recent reports by the AP have exposed Microsoft’s critical role in enabling Israel’s apartheid regime and the genocide of Palestinians in Gaza. The article details “a $133 million contract between Microsoft and Israel’s Ministry of Defense,” highlighting how Microsoft Azure and AI fuel the occupation’s mass state surveillance and contribute to indiscriminate targeting and bombing of an entire indigenous Palestinian people. Further, leaked documents reveal how Microsoft AI powers the most “sensitive and highly classified projects” for the Israeli military, including its “target bank” and the Palestinian population registry.

Microsoft cloud and AI enable the Israeli military to be more lethal and destructive in Gaza. It is undeniable that Microsoft’s Azure cloud offerings and AI developments form the technological backbone of Israel’s automated apartheid and genocide systems. Microsoft is so deeply connected to the Israeli military that it was just yesterday designated one of the priority boycott targets of the BDS (Boycott, Divest, Sanctions) campaign.

All this begs the question, which “people” are we empowering with our technology? The oppressors enforcing an apartheid regime? The war criminals committing a genocide? Unfortunately, at this point, it’s irrefutable that Microsoft is complicit - they are a digital weapons manufacturer that powers surveillance, apartheid, and genocide. And by working for this company, we are all complicit. Even if we don’t work directly in AI or Azure, our labor is tacit support, and our corporate climb only fuels the system. This is why, just before I handed in my resignation, I signed this important petition to demand Microsoft cut ties with genocide. And I urge you all to do the same.

Call to Action

As time goes on, I find it more and more difficult to continue giving my time, energy, and care to a company that is on the wrong side of history. Leaving my job at Microsoft has become the obvious choice for me, and I see no alternative but to use my last few days at Microsoft to speak up however I can, whether by disrupting Satya’s talk, or by sending this email today. Microsoft leadership must divest from Israel and stop selling lethal technology to power apartheid and genocide.

I know that leaving Microsoft is not an option for many. If you must continue to work at Microsoft, I urge you to use your position, power, and privilege to hold Microsoft accountable to its own values and mission:

Know that Microsoft’s human rights statement prohibits retaliation against anyone who raises a human rights-related concern: Human rights statement | Microsoft CSR

Farewell and Free Palestine,

Vaniya