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Vaniya Agrawal, an Indian-American software engineer from Microsoft’s artificial intelligence division, has made headlines after she staged a bold protest at the tech giant’s 50th anniversary celebration. She interrupted a panel discussion featuring CEO Satya Nadella and former CEOs Bill Gates and Steve Ballmer, accusing the company of contributing to violence in Gaza through its technology.
Outburst at Microsoft’s 50th Anniversary
While the three leaders were on stage reflecting on Microsoft’s journey, Agrawal stood up and shouted, “Shame on you all. You are all hypocrites.” She added, “50,000 Palestinians in Gaza have been murdered with Microsoft technology. How dare you. Shame on all of you for celebrating in their blood. Cut ties with Israel.” The protest caused a stir among attendees, with some employees booing her as she was escorted out by security.
Protest Group ‘No Azure for Apartheid’
During her protest, Agrawal mentioned ‘No Azure for Apartheid’, a group actively organizing demonstrations against Microsoft. The group criticizes the company’s cloud service collaboration with the Israeli military, accusing it of enabling military operations through its Azure platform.
Who Is Vaniya Agrawal?
According to her LinkedIn profile, Vaniya Agrawal joined Microsoft in September 2023. Before that, she worked for more than three years at Amazon as a software engineer. From her name, it is presumed that she is of Indian-American origin.
She worked in Microsoft’s AI division, a team involved in advanced machine learning and artificial intelligence solutions. Her protest marks a rare public act of dissent from within one of the world’s leading tech companies.
Resignation and Public Statement
Following the incident, Agrawal formally resigned from Microsoft. In an internal email to colleagues, she stated: “Hi all, My name is Vaniya, and after 1.5 years as a software engineer at this company, I’ve decided to leave Microsoft. My last day is next Friday, April 11. You may have seen me stand up earlier today to call out Satya during his speech at the Microsoft 50th anniversary. Here’s why I decided to leave the company, and why I spoke up today.”
She further said that she could no longer, in good conscience, work for a company that she believes is linked to genocide.
Microsoft Yet to Respond Publicly
As of now, Microsoft has not issued any public statement in response to Agrawal’s protest or resignation. The incident videos are being widely shared on social media, igniting discussions about the ethical responsibilities of tech companies in global conflicts.
