Microsoft’s 50th anniversary was meant to be a celebration of its legacy. But instead, it got hit with a wave of protest, right in the middle of the party.
Vaniya Agrawal stormed the stage and publicly confronted top company leaders, including CEO Satya Nadella and founders Bill Gates and Steve Ballmer. But who is she?
Who is Vaniya Agrawal
Vaniya Agrawal, a software engineer who worked in Microsoft’s artificial intelligence division. Based on her name, she appears to be of Indian-American background.
In an internal email sent to Microsoft employees, she mentioned that she had been with the company for more than a year and a half before deciding to resign. ‘Shame on all of you’ While the tech giants sat on stage, Agrawal didn’t hold back. She said: Fifty thousand Palestinians in Gaza have been murdered with Microsoft technology. How dare you. Shame on all of you for celebrating on their blood She accused Microsoft of contributing to violence in Gaza by supporting Israel’s military through its tech, especially its Azure cloud and AI services.
Accusations of enabling military actions Agrawal slammed the company as a “digital weapons manufacturer,” citing a reported $133 million (Rs 1141 crore) deal with Israel’s Ministry of Defense. She claimed Microsoft’s tools were being used in warfare and human rights abuses. Security quickly escorted her out of the event. The panel resumed without any response from the executives.
Why she quit Shortly after, Agrawal publicly resigned from her role at Microsoft. In her resignation letter, she wrote: I cannot, in good conscience, be part of a company that participates in this violent injustice She urged remaining employees to speak up and hold Microsoft accountable: If you must continue to work at Microsoft, I urge you to use your position, power, and privilege to hold Microsoft accountable to its values and mission She wasn’t alone Agrawal’s protest wasn’t an isolated incident. Another employee, Ibtihal Aboussad, previously interrupted a talk by Microsoft’s AI CEO Mustafa Suleyman, calling him a “war profiteer.” “Microsoft technologies are being used to commit acts of genocide,” she said. Unlike Gates and Nadella, Suleyman briefly acknowledged the protest: “Thank you for your protest. I hear you.”
Growing internal conflict Microsoft has faced internal backlash for months. In February, five employees were kicked out of a meeting with Nadella after protesting the company’s deals with Israel. As tensions persist in Gaza, the internal pressure on tech companies like Microsoft to reevaluate their partnerships and ethical responsibilities continues to mount.
