At Microsoft’s Build 2025 developer conference in Seattle, CEO Satya Nadella’s keynote was disrupted by employee Joe Lopez, who protested the company’s Azure contracts with the Israeli government, accusing Microsoft of enabling war crimes in Gaza. Lopez, a firmware engineer, shouted, “Satya, how about you show how Microsoft is killing Palestinians? How about you show the Israeli war crimes are powered by Azure,” before being escorted out by security
Lopez’s protest aligns with the activist group “No Azure for Apartheid,” comprising current and former Microsoft employees demanding the company sever ties with the Israeli military and conduct transparent audits of its contracts . Following the incident, Lopez sent a company-wide email expressing his disillusionment with Microsoft’s leadership and its denial of the alleged misuse of its technology .
Microsoft responded by stating that internal and third-party investigations found no evidence that its Azure or AI technologies have been used to harm civilians in Gaza. However, the company acknowledged limited visibility into how its technologies are utilized on customers’ own servers .
This protest is part of a series of employee-led actions challenging Microsoft’s involvement with the Israeli government. In April 2025, two employees were fired after disrupting the company’s 50th-anniversary event with similar accusations . The ongoing dissent reflects broader concerns about the ethical implications of corporate partnerships in geopolitical conflicts.
