REDMOND, Washington — A pro-Palestinian protester interrupts the keynote event of Microsoft’s 50th anniversary celebration, the latest backlash over the tech industry’s work to supply artificial intelligence technology to the Israeli military.
The protest happens as Microsoft AI CEO Mustafa Suleyman presents product updates and a long-term vision for the company’s AI assistant product, Copilot, to an audience that includes Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates and former CEO Steve Ballmer.
“Mustafa, shame on you,” shouts a woman in the audience. “You claim that you care about using AI for good but Microsoft sells AI weapons to the Israeli military.”
She says that 50,000 people in Gaza have died in the conflict sparked by the Hamas-led October 7, 2023, attack on Israel, claiming the war is a genocide.
“Thank you for your protest, I hear you,” Suleyman says. The protester continues, shouting that he and “all of Microsoft” have blood on their hands.
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From the Liveblog of
Saturday, April 5, 2025
