Microsoft sacks two employees over anti-Israel office occupation

Hattle said in a statement: "We are here because Microsoft continues to provide Israel with the tools it needs to commit genocide while gaslighting and misdirecting its own workers about this reality."

A Microsoft spokesperson confirmed that two employees were fired over "serious breaches of company policies and our code of conduct".

And Smith himself added: “We respect the freedom of expression that everyone in this country enjoys as long as they do it lawfully.”

It comes after rivals Google sacked a number of staff in 2024 following protests over the firm’s business dealings with Israel.

A total of 28 employees were fired after raising complaints related to Project Nimbus – a $1.2 billion contract offered by Israel to Google and Amazon in 2021 to facilitate greater cloud storage and computing power.

Nine of those dismissed were arrested during sit-in demonstrations at the company’s California headquarters as part of the No Tech for Apartheid group and were immediately locked out of work devices, before being informed of their dismissals by email.

One of those who helped organise the protest said: “I’m furious. This is a wildly disproportionate response to workers standing up for morality and for holding Google accountable for its own promises.

"Firing people associated with an event they don’t like — it’s unbelievable.”

Google said the firings were justified by protesters “physically impeding other employees’ work and preventing them from accessing our facilities” in “clear violation of our policies”.

In the wake of the dispute, Google CEO Sundar Pichai sent a company memo calling on staff not to “fight over disruptive issues or debate politics” in the workplace.