Microsoft recently celebrated its 50th anniversary with fanfare but the celebrations didn’t go as smoothly as planned. The tech giant faced protests during its event from its employees who were in support of Palestine. At the company’s Redmond headquarters in Washington protests erupted twice during the anniversary celebrations led by Microsoft’s own employees. The protestors who were women working within the company accused Microsoft and its leadership including co-founder Bill Gates and CEO Satya Nadella of being complicit in violence against Palestinians. One of the protestors Vania Agarwal made headlines for her bold confrontation during a celebratory session. According to attendees she publicly criticized the company and its leadership shouting “You are all hypocrites” directly targeting Bill Gates and Satya Nadella. She also sent a company-wide email condemning Microsoft’s business ties that allegedly contribute to violence in Gaza. “Mustafa Shame on You” said employee In another incident during the event Ibtihal Abu Saad a software engineer from Microsoft’s Artificial Intelligence division interrupted a keynote by AI CEO Mustafa Suleyman. She shouted ‘Mustafa shame on you!’ and attempted to approach the stage before being stopped by security. Both employees later circulated emails across Microsoft’s internal network explaining their actions and protesting the company’s alleged support for Israeli military operations through its technology and services. Pro-Palestinian protest by Microsoft employees  The protest began as Microsoft AI CEO Mustafa Suleyman was presenting product updates and a long-term vision for the companys AI assistant product Copilot to an audience that included Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates and former CEO Steve Ballmer. “Mustafa shame on you” shouted Microsoft employee Ibtihal Aboussad as she walked toward the stage and Suleyman paused his speech. “You claim that you care about using AI for good but Microsoft sells AI weapons to the Israeli military. Fifty-thousand people have died and Microsoft powers this genocide in our region.” “Thank you for your protest I hear you” Suleyman said. Aboussad continued shouting that Suleyman and “all of Microsoft” had blood on their hands. She also threw onto the stage a keffiyeh scarf which has become a symbol of support for Palestinian people before being escorted out of the event. A second protester Microsoft employee Vaniya Agrawal interrupted another part of the celebration during which Gates Ballmer and current CEO Satya Nadella were on stage — the first public gathering since 2014 of the three men who have been Microsofts CEO. Who Is Vania Agarwal? Vania Agarwal is a software engineer in Microsofts Artificial Intelligence division. Her name suggests that she is Indian-American. In an email sent to all the employees of the company she wrote that she had been working at Microsoft for one and a half years and is now leaving the company. An investigation by The Associated Press revealed earlier this year that AI models from Microsoft and OpenAI had been used as part of an Israeli military program to select bombing targets during the recent wars in Gaza and Lebanon. The story also contained details of an errant Israeli airstrike in 2023 that struck a vehicle carrying members of a Lebanese family killing three young girls and their grandmother. In February five Microsoft employees were ejected from a meeting with CEO Satya Nadella for protesting the contracts. While the February event was an internal meeting Fridays protest was far more public — a livestreamed showcase of the companys past and future. Some employees also rallied outside the event Friday. “We provide many avenues for all voices to be heard said a statement from the company Friday. “Importantly we ask that this be done in a way that does not cause a business disruption. If that happens we ask participants to relocate. We are committed to ensuring our business practices uphold the highest standards.” (With Inputs From Agencies)