Microsoft Headquarters Lockdown: Activists Occupy Brad Smith's Office

Protest at Microsoft Headquarters

On Monday, a demonstration unfolded at Microsoft’s Redmond campus, culminating in protesters entering the office of President Brad Smith in Building 34. This led to a temporary security lockdown of the facility.

Details of the Protest

The group, identifying as “No Azure for Apartheid,” broadcasted their occupation live on Twitch. Protesters displayed banners and voiced slogans such as ‘Brad Smith, you can’t hide, you’re supporting genocide!’ They also presented a fabricated legal notice accusing Smith of “crimes against humanity.”

Initially, Microsoft declined to comment on the situation when contacted by TechCrunch. However, Smith subsequently convened a press conference near his desk to address the unfolding events.

Protester Backgrounds and Police Intervention

Smith revealed that of the seven individuals involved in the protest, only two were currently employed by Microsoft. One individual was identified as a former employee of Google.

After the protesters declined requests to depart the premises, the Redmond Police Department intervened to physically remove them from the building. All seven individuals were subsequently arrested on charges including trespassing and obstruction.

Microsoft's Response

Smith stated that the protesters’ actions were unnecessary to garner attention. He emphasized that such activity detracted from constructive dialogue already underway within Microsoft, involving employee groups representing diverse backgrounds, faiths, and cultures.

A prior report by The Verge indicated the presence of both current and former Microsoft employees among the protesters, including individuals previously terminated for prior activist endeavors. This escalation follows a series of ongoing protests concerning Microsoft’s cloud service contracts with Israel, which have previously resulted in arrests at the company’s headquarters.

Concerns Regarding Data Storage

Recent investigative reporting by The Guardian has revealed that Israel utilizes Microsoft’s services for the storage of data generated from millions of daily phone calls originating from Palestinians in both Gaza and the West Bank.

Similarities to Google Protests

Monday’s demonstration mirrored tactics employed by Google employees over a year prior. In April 2024, nine Google workers organized coordinated protests across offices in New York and California.

Five of these protesters occupied the office of Google Cloud CEO Thomas Kurian for a period of nine hours. They expressed their demands by writing on his whiteboard and wearing shirts bearing the message “Googler against genocide.”

Project Nimbus and Employee Consequences

The Google protests specifically targeted Project Nimbus, a $1.2 billion contract between Amazon and the Israeli government and military, providing cloud computing and artificial intelligence tools. The sit-ins and subsequent arrests were also livestreamed on Twitch.

Following these events, 28 employees involved in the Google protests were terminated from their positions three days later.

Note: This article has been updated to include comments made by Smith following the removal of the protesters from his office, after the initial publication.