The company Microsoft fired two employees who organized an unauthorized vigil at the company's headquarters in Redmond, Washington, in memory of the Palestinians killed in Gaza during the conflict between Israel and Hamas. The employees, members of the coalition "No Azure for Apartheid," were fired by phone shortly after the event.
The firings occurred after the group opposed Microsoft selling cloud computing technology to the Israeli government. The fired employees, Mohamed and Nasr, expressed their intent to honor the Palestinian victims and condemn the company's alleged complicity in the conflict, which led to their dismissal.
Microsoft stated that the firings were carried out in accordance with internal policies, without providing further details. Nasr, co-organizer of the Harvard Students for Palestine group, pointed out that the company did not provide them space to express their grief and honor the deceased during the vigil.
The affected, Mohamed and Nasr, are seeking new employment to transfer their work visas and avoid deportation. Nasr also highlighted that their dismissal was announced on social media before Microsoft communicated it. The company explained that it maintains a professional and respectful work environment, without offering additional information due to privacy concerns.
Previously, Google also faced protests and firings for supplying technology to the Israeli government during the conflict in Gaza. More than 50 Google workers were fired for questioning the company's collaboration on a contract with Israel for cloud computing and artificial intelligence services.
Despite the controversies, both Microsoft and Google have reiterated their commitment to maintaining a respectful and professional work environment, although the firing of employees for political protests remains a topic of debate.
