10 hours ago
Last Updated:April 07, 2025, 10:04 IST
Vaniya Agrawal, a Microsoft software engineer, publicly resigned after interrupting the panel discussion during the company's 50th anniversary to protest its alleged ties to Israel.
Vaniya Agrawal confronted former and current Microsoft CEOs Bill Gates, Steve Ballmer, and Satya Nadella during a panel. (X)
An Indian-origin software engineer confronted former and current Microsoft CEOs Bill Gates, Steve Ballmer, and Satya Nadella during the company’s 50th anniversary celebrations, and accused them of using the company’s technology to aid “genocide in Gaza."
Vaniya Agrawal, a software engineer in Microsoft’s artificial intelligence division, disrupted a panel discussion.
“Shame on you all. You’re all hypocrites. 50,000 Palestinians in Gaza have been murdered with Microsoft technology. How dare you. Shame on all of you for celebrating in their blood. Cut ties with Israel," she shouted.
She further condemned the tech company’s reported $133 million cloud and AI contract with Israel’s Ministry of Defense. She was soon escorted out of the hall, while some of the employees at the event started booing.
Agarwal later announced her resignation in a company-wide email.
In the email, accessed by The Verge, tech news website, she said, “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," she wrote.
“I cannot, in good conscience, be part of a company that participates in this violent injustice," she added.
As per the media reports, she also referenced her involvement with No Azure for Apartheid, a campaign group that has called on Microsoft to sever ties with Israeli institutions. The group is believed to have organised protests both within and outside Microsoft during the anniversary celebrations.
Israel began its offensive after thousands of Hamas-led gunmen attacked communities in southern Israel on October 7, 2023, killing 1,200 people and abducting 251 as hostages, according to Israeli tallies.
Location :California, USA
First Published:April 07, 2025, 10:04 IST
News world ‘Shame On You, Hypocrites’: Indian-Origin Techie Confronts Microsoft Bosses, Resigns Over Gaza War
