WASHINGTON, August 28 – A peaceful sit-in at Microsoft’s executive office has led to the termination of two employees, sparking renewed debate over corporate responsibility and the human cost of war.
On Tuesday, Anna Hattle and Riki Fameli—two employees deeply concerned about the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Gaza—staged a protest inside the office of Microsoft President Brad Smith. Along with five others, they were arrested during the sit-in. However, only Hattle and Fameli were active Microsoft employees at the time. They later received voicemails notifying them that they had been fired.
According to a statement by Microsoft, the terminations were due to “serious breaches of company policies and our code of conduct,” referring to what they described as a “break-in at the executive offices.”
But for the two dismissed employees, this was not about policy violations—it was about taking a stand for humanity.
“We are here because Microsoft continues to provide Israel with the tools it needs to commit genocide while gaslighting and misdirecting its own workers about this reality,” Hattle said in a heartfelt public statement following the termination.
The protest was organized by the group No Azure for Apartheid, which calls for Microsoft to cut all ties with Israel and compensate Palestinians affected by its technology. The group’s name references Microsoft Azure, the company’s cloud platform allegedly used by Israeli military surveillance programs targeting Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank.
A joint investigation by The Guardian, +972 Magazine, and Local Call found that Israeli security agencies had been using Microsoft’s Azure cloud services to store and analyze thousands of recordings from Palestinian mobile phones—part of a widespread surveillance network.
Microsoft responded by commissioning a review through the law firm Covington & Burling LLP, though critics argue the move is too little, too late.
This is not the first time Microsoft employees have spoken out. Earlier this year, during the company’s 50th-anniversary celebration, a pro-Palestinian employee interrupted Microsoft AI CEO Mustafa Suleyman’s speech in protest. That employee—and one other—was also dismissed shortly after.
Across the U.S. and around the world, major companies and universities have faced internal protests over connections to the Israeli government amid the worsening humanitarian disaster in Gaza. Images of starving children, destroyed homes, and mass displacement have stirred public anger and intensified scrutiny of corporate complicity.
The devastating conflict escalated in October 2023 when Hamas launched an attack on Israel, resulting in 1,200 deaths and around 250 hostages, according to Israeli sources. In response, Israel launched an extensive military campaign in Gaza, killing tens of thousands, leveling entire neighborhoods, displacing over two million people, and triggering accusations of genocide and war crimes—allegations Israel strongly denies.
As for Anna Hattle and Riki Fameli, their story is becoming part of a growing global narrative: one where employees, students, and everyday citizens are no longer willing to stay silent about the role powerful institutions play in global suffering.
