The CEO of Microsoft AI was interrupted by a pro-Palestinian protester during the company’s 50th anniversary celebration in Washington State on Friday over the tech industry’s ties with Israel.
The protest began as Microsoft AI CEO Mustafa Suleyman was on stage, presenting product updates and a long-term vision for the company, at the live event in Redmond, Wash., to a global audience that included Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates and former CEO Steve Ballmer.
“Mustafa, shame on you,” shouted Microsoft employee Ibtihal Aboussad as she walked toward the stage, forcing Suleyman to pause his speech. “You claim that you care about using AI for good, but Microsoft sells AI weapons to the Israeli military. Fifty thousand people have died, and Microsoft powers this genocide,” she said, using figures published by the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry.
“Thank you for your protest, I hear you,” said Suleyman.
Aboussad persisted, shouting that both the 40-year-old British CEO and “all of Microsoft” had blood on their hands for supplying artificial intelligence technology to the Israeli military.
She also threw a keffiyeh scarf onto the stage before being escorted out of the event.
A second Microsoft employee later interrupted another part of the celebration.
A report by The Associated Press earlier this year revealed that AI models from Microsoft and OpenAI were used as part of an Israeli military program to select bombing targets during the war in Gaza and Lebanon.
