By now, the story has reverberated across the globe: two Microsoft engineers, Ibtihal Abou El Saad and Vaniya Agrawal, boldly confronted their employer over its role in supporting Israeli military operations in Gaza and Lebanon. Their protest — delivered face-to-face to Microsoft's top leadership during its 50th anniversary celebration — was not a mere interruption. It was a rare act of moral courage that shattered a carefully curated silence in the tech industry and exposed the cost of complicity.

Both women were fired shortly after their protests. But their actions will likely echo far longer than any corporate event ever could. At different moments during the celebration, they each took a stand: Aboussad interrupted a keynote by Microsoft AI CEO Mustafa Suleyman, demanding accountability as she declared, "How dare you celebrate when Microsoft is killing children." Agrawal later confronted Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, former CEO Steve Ballmer, and co-founder Bill Gates, publicly accusing the company of profiting from bloodshed in Gaza.

Their outrage was backed by evidence. Earlier this year, the Associated Press revealed that Microsoft's AI tools were used by the Israeli military in Gaza — one of the first documented cases of US-made AI deployed in live warfare. The technology helped select bombing targets, drive mass surveillance and automate military decisions, raising serious concerns about civilian casualties and potential war crimes.

Agrawal, in her company-wide resignation letter, asked, "Which 'people' are we empowering with our technology? The oppressors........

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