this post was submitted on 26 Oct 2024
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Microsoft has fired two employees who organized an unauthorized vigil at the company’s headquarters for Palestinians killed in Gaza during Israel’s war with Hamas.

The two employees told The Associated Press they were fired by phone call late Thursday, several hours after a lunchtime event they organized at Microsoft’s campus in Redmond, Washington.

Both workers were members of a coalition of employees called “No Azure for Apartheid” that has opposed Microsoft’s sale of its cloud-computing technology to the Israeli government. But they contended that Thursday’s event was similar to other Microsoft-sanctioned employee giving campaigns for people in need.

“We have so many community members within Microsoft who have lost family, lost friends or loved ones,” said Abdo Mohamed, a researcher and data scientist. “But Microsoft really failed to have the space for us where we can come together and share our grief and honor the memories of people who can no longer speak for themselves.”

Microsoft said Friday it has “ended the employment of some individuals in accordance with internal policy” but declined to provide details.

Google earlier this year fired more than 50 workers in the aftermath of protests over technology the company is supplying the Israeli government amid the Gaza war. The firings stemmed from internal turmoil and sit-in protests at Google offices centered on “Project Nimbus,” a $1.2 billion contract signed in 2021 for Google and Amazon to provide the Israeli government with cloud computing and artificial intelligence services.

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[–] [email protected] 14 points 3 days ago

Right, my daily reminder that the US doesn't belive in human rights. Article 23 of the UN human rights declaration for anyone curious. This is also a fun, yet basic resource: https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/countries-with-independent-national-human-rights-institution?time=latest

It's sad that the west still glorifies this fucking homunculus that not only doesn't try to adhere to any agreed principals and values, but actively goes against them. The republicans are against half the things written in there, while the dems "compromise" so hard that "barely making it" is the ultimate unachievable goal in the distance to aim towards. Fucking pathetic.

[–] [email protected] 20 points 3 days ago (9 children)

Why would you organise this on company headquarters without the consent of the company?

If you tell your employers that you hate the way they operate, what do you think is going to happen?

[–] [email protected] 14 points 3 days ago

It's called a protest. Social movements protest to get a message across.

You think they'd get permission?

Also, this isn't really a protest.. A vigil. Microsoft is a trash corporation. None of this is surprising.

[–] [email protected] 11 points 3 days ago (12 children)

Well, given the kind of company, it's not like you'd obtain a consent if you asked. They're too busy getting that Israeli money.

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[–] [email protected] 10 points 3 days ago (3 children)

How do people have the time to organise vigils and get into "coalitions" and politics in the workplace?

Granted I don't work at Microsoft, but I feel me and everyone around me is overworked enough that when we have the time to stop working... We head home (or close the laptop if WFH) and rest, not engage in additional activities in the workplace.

[–] [email protected] 13 points 3 days ago

For every hour of work/coding I do, there is probably 4 to 5 hours of waiting for shit to automatically compile, fetch, build, release, apply, get reviewed, approved, and deployed. The downtime is immense, I spend it helping other people with shit or planning company potlucks (I don't work for Microsoft).

[–] [email protected] 12 points 3 days ago

In giant companies, there's a lot of wasted time and money.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 3 days ago

IDK about you but half of the time I'm at work I'm not actually working. I have like 4 hours of insane productivity, but don't know which 4 hours those will be.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 3 days ago

Microsoft should go macro-shaft themselves.

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