Indian-origin techie Vaniya Agrawal publicly slams Gates, Nadella over AI use in Gaza

Microsoft’s 50th anniversary event in Washington on March 4 turned chaotic when two of its employees – Vaniya Agrawal and Ibtihal Aboussad – interrupted proceedings to publicly protest against the company’s alleged ties with the Israeli military.

The first disruption came during a keynote address by Microsoft AI CEO Mustafa Suleyman, when Aboussad stood up among the audience and accused Suleyman of being a “war profiteer”. According to footage and eyewitnesses, she said that Microsoft technologies are being used to commit acts of genocide.

Microsoft is enabling genocide in Gaza through AI technologies, she declared.

However, the more dramatic moment came when Vaniya Agrawal, an Indian-American engineer, stood up during a panel featuring Bill Gates, Steve Ballmer, and Satya Nadella and confronted them.

Also read: AI | DeepSeek’s deep strike and the humbling of American Big Tech

She shouted: “50,000 Palestinians in Gaza have been murdered with Microsoft technology. Shame on all of you for celebrating on their blood.” She was also escorted out but the footage of the moment went viral.

Agrawal criticised Microsoft’s reported $133 million cloud and AI agreement with Israel’s ministry of defense, alleging that the company is complicit in facilitating genocide in Gaza.

Exit in protest

Soon after, Agrawal sent an email marking all Microsoft employees announcing her resignation, effective April 11.

In her message, she said she could not “in good conscience” remain at a company whose technology powers alleged military aggression and "violent injustice".

She called Microsoft a “digital weapons manufacturer” and accused the company of violating its own human rights commitments.

Also, she cited reports that claim that Microsoft Azure and AI technologies are used to support Israel’s military operations and surveillance, stating that “our labour fuels this genocide”.

She also urged her colleagues to use their positions to hold the company accountable.

Fallout and silence

While Microsoft claimed it offers space for internal voices, it has not officially responded to the resignations or accusations.

Both Agrawal and Aboussad reportedly lost access to their work accounts soon after the protests.

The backlash reflects growing dissent within Silicon Valley over corporate complicity in global conflicts, especially amid Israel’s ongoing military campaign in Gaza.

Conflict context

Since October 2023, Israel’s response to Hamas’ attack has reportedly led to over 50,000 Palestinian deaths and the mass displacement of Gaza’s 2.3 million residents.

Investigations suggest Microsoft AI and cloud services are being used by Israel’s ministry of defense, sparking ethical concerns among employees and human rights activists.

Also Read: World leaders shouldn’t fail Gaza’s children; no kites can fly in a battlefield