Microsoft Fires 2 Employees Involved In Sit-In At President Brad Smith's Office Over Software Giant's Israeli Ties

Microsoft Corp. (MSFT) has fired two employees who were among a group of seven people who stormed into President Brad Smith's Office at the Redmond campus on Tuesday, protesting against the company's decision to allow the Israeli military to use its Azure cloud computing platform.

The two employees were fired for violating the company's code of conduct during the unsavory incident, the company reportedly confirmed in an emailed statement to the Seattle Times.

The“No Azure For Apartheid” group, comprising present and former Microsoft employees who are opposed to Microsoft's Israeli ties, confirmed the firing in its social-media accounts. In a post on X early Thursday, the group said,“Microsoft fires Riki Fameli and Anna Hattle after participating in a sit-in at the office of Brad Smith.”

In a livestreamed press conference held after the sit-in on Tuesday, Smith said the company was considering disciplinary actions against the employees who did not exhibit“standard employee conduct.”

Microsoft stock has held up despite the developments. Although the stock slipped 0.44% on Tuesday, it rebounded by about 1% on Wednesday.

On Stocktwits, sentiment toward the stock remained 'neutral' (50/100) by late Wednesday, but the message volume was low.

Smith said on Tuesday that the discontented employees should have raised the issue through internal communication channels or by submitting a petition. He also clarified the company's stance, stating that Microsoft will do its part by ensuring that its human rights principles and contractual terms of service are upheld everywhere by all customers worldwide.

The Seattle Times report, citing a release from the“No Azure for Apartheid” group, said the erring employees lost access to their Microsoft accounts on Wednesday and received voicemails informing them of their terminations.

Microsoft stock has gained about 21% year-to-date (YTD).

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