Technology

The Israeli military's usage of the company's cloud storage facilities in the first six months after 7 October 2023 was 60 percent more than the four months preceding it. Leaked documents show that the Israeli military's usage of Microsoft's AI products also ticked up in the same period.

The 25-year-old Aboussad, who worked in the AI division in which she was involved in converting speech to text, says she hadn't realised she "signed up to work on code that directly powers war crimes". This realisation spurred her into action.

She joined and began organising with the No Azure for Apartheid campaign, which was created in late 2023 by a group of Microsoft employees who wanted the company to end its contracts with Israel and uphold its own stated values.

Together with other employees, including a colleague, Vaniya Aggraval, Aboussad said that over the past several months, they tried to address their concerns through the proper channels.

They wrote to management, tried meeting with the CEO, and even sent questions to "Ask me anything" forums, only to be rebuffed and ignored.

When Israel cut aid and supplies and began bombarding Gaza again in mid-March, killing up to 100 children a day, both Aboussad and Agrawal decided they had had enough.

Immediately after their disruptions, Agarwal and Abbousad both sent a mass email to Microsoft colleagues explaining their actions. The emails, the duo said, were meant for those who were still purportedly in the dark about Microsoft's links to the Israeli military industrial complex.