“Is my work killing kids?” This could be the email that led Microsoft to ban keywords like ‘Palestine’ and ‘Gaza’ from internal comms

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It was revealed late last night that Microsoft started prohibiting specific terms related to the Israel-Gaza conflict in their internal email communications.

Microsoft has recently encountered a wave of employee demonstrations due to its business interactions with the Israeli government, specifically regarding Azure deployments, AI applications, and various other technologies. These protests have culminated in public disruptions of CEO Satya Nadella during his speeches, most recently occurring at the Build 2025 event.

The “No Azure for Apartheid” campaign is one aspect of a broader alliance among tech industry employees aiming to shed light on the activities of their corporate parents in collaboration with the Israeli government, whose ongoing conflict in the Gaza Strip has resulted in the loss of many lives and displacement of numerous others. With thousands of adults and children at risk of starvation, Israel has been accused by entities like the United Nations and International Criminal Court of deliberately obstructing aid, as it pursues its declared objective of eradicating Hamas. However, more and more critics argue that Israel’s justifications are merely a disguise for potential acts of genocide.

1500 Microsoft employees have signed a petition titled “No Azure for Apartheid,” which states: “At present, Israel has reportedly taken the lives of over 35,000 Palestinians, many of them children and women. Israel has surpassed any other conflict in history in the number of aid workers it has killed, and has also killed more journalists than any army in a single year. Schools, hospitals, places of worship, refugee camps, and all facets of civilian life in Gaza have been targeted and devastated by Israeli bombings.

A while ago, I came across an internal email from an unidentified Microsoft employee that was sent to a vast number of company mailboxes. In this message, the employee questions the silence of key Microsoft leaders such as President Brad Smith and CEO Satya Nadella regarding the ongoing conflict, and expresses concern about the possibility of their work contributing to harm, specifically referencing the Israeli Defense Force’s potential use of Microsoft technologies, posing the question, “Am I unwittingly aiding in the taking of innocent lives?

It’s possible that the email under discussion could have resulted in terms such as “Genocide”, “Palestine”, and “Gaza” being forbidden in internal communication.

Part of the email is as follows.

Fellow Microsoft workers and Microsoft leadership,

By now you may have seen or heard of my disruption at the Microsoft Build keynote this morning.

For the last four years, I have been employed as a firmware engineer within the Azure Hardware Systems and Infrastructure (AHSI) team at Microsoft. Although my time here has been marked by rewarding collaborations with numerous exceptional individuals, I find myself increasingly unable to remain passive as Microsoft persists in supporting Israel’s forced displacement of Palestinian communities.

Just like numerous others, I’ve been appalled and saddened by the escalating violence in Gaza, which appears to be a genocide. It’s disheartening to see the lack of response, indifference, and insensitivity from world leaders towards the plight of the Palestinian people.

My disillusionment with Microsoft

After encountering the No Azure for Apartheid group, I found that these individuals persistently act, speak out, and organize, regardless of the potential consequences. I was taken aback when I listened to Ibtihal and Vaniya disrupt Microsoft’s 50th anniversary on April 4, as their words left me questioning: Could Microsoft be responsible for the deaths of children? Is my work contributing to such tragedies?

I too found it surprising that our leaders, specifically Mustafa Suleyman, Brad Smith, Kevin Scott, Scott Guthrie, and Satya Nadella, remained silent on the issue. The question crossed my mind, “What could be the reason behind their silence?

“If we are truly not guilty, shouldn’t they deny these horrible accusations?”

Initially, I delved further into the subject matter. I examined various articles, observed the presented evidence, and listened to the accounts of our company’s employees who were shocked to discover that the technology we are developing is allegedly being utilized by Israel in their efforts perceived as aiming to eliminate the Palestinian population.

* After activating a switch, I found myself grappling with distressing thoughts every day as I went to work. These thoughts centered around the pain and destruction caused by the US-Israeli military apparatus, which is fueled in part by Microsoft’s Azure platform. Previously, I had joined Microsoft under the impression that it was a more ethical tech giant. I had believed that my work was geared towards empowering individuals rather than causing harm.*

* Upon flipping a switch, I began to grapple daily with concerns about the suffering inflicted by the US-Israeli war machine, which is partly powered by Microsoft’s Azure. I joined Microsoft thinking it was the more ethical choice among big tech companies, but now I question whether my work empowers people or causes harm.*

Microsoft’s admission of complicity

Microsoft recently published a blog post, which is their initial reaction to issues that have been loudly voiced for years. However, the statement doesn’t address our concerns fully. Non-transparent audits into our Israel cloud operations (performed by both Microsoft and an unnamed external party) that find no wrongdoing on Microsoft’s part do not make me feel reassured. In fact, this response has prompted me to express my views more strongly. Microsoft acknowledged granting the Israeli Ministry of Defense “special access” to their technologies beyond the scope of their commercial agreements. Is it plausible to think that this “special access” was granted only once? What exactly does Microsoft need this “special access” for, and what are they doing with it?

Leadership denies our allegations that Azure technology is being utilized to attack or harm civilians in Gaza, but we who have been closely observing understand this assertion to be a blatant falsehood. It’s crucial to recognize that all data stored in the cloud (much of which may have been unlawfully gathered through mass surveillance) can be manipulated and used as evidence to destroy cities and eliminate Palestinians. We don’t require an internal investigation to confirm that one of Azure’s major clients is perpetrating crimes against humanity; we witness it daily on the internet.

Microsoft, being one of the global giants, holds immense influence. We have the ability, and more importantly, the responsibility, to take a stand against this unnecessary suffering: we call for an end to this senseless tragedy, or we may choose to withdraw our technological aid from Israel. If the leadership persists in disregarding this call, be assured that it will not go unnoticed. The world is becoming increasingly aware of our involvement and growing hostile towards us. Boycotts are likely to escalate and our reputation will suffer further damage.

Call to action

In the days when your grandchildren query about my contributions to aid the Palestinians during their hardships, I pray they can find it in their hearts to forgive me for my past inactivity. Perhaps, some of you are confronted by this question from your children right now. What response will you provide them?

Picture a scenario where your house is destroyed while soldiers watch and celebrate. Friends and loved ones are torn apart by explosions that occur daily in your neighborhood. Every resident in your community stands on the edge of survival due to hunger. Foreigners are waiting for you to perish before they take over your home.

As Israel persists with its lethal siege of Gaza and Netanyahu insists on his goal of completely controlling Gaza, it’s clear that the situation is extremely critical. I wouldn’t dare jeopardize my profession and financial stability if I didn’t genuinely feel this way. It takes courage to express concerns, especially at this time.

It is not unexpected that employees of Microsoft, given their history of advocating for various issues such as climate change, civil rights, LGBTQ+ rights, and others, might express concern over the company’s unintentional involvement in technology that could indirectly contribute to an ongoing genocide.

Microsoft asserts through an internal evaluation that their technologies haven’t been employed to attack civilians in the Gaza Strip. However, they admit they lack oversight into how clients might utilize these technologies on personal servers, such as those possibly managed by the military.

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2025-05-22 21:09