Arkane Studio employees petition Microsoft to discontinue collaboration with the Israeli military: "We aspire to distance ourselves from the sinister operations in Gaza"
In the tech world, Microsoft is currently facing a storm of criticism over its relationship with the Israeli military. This controversy has sparked a series of protests from within the company and from external activist groups.
The crux of the issue lies in Microsoft's provision of its Azure cloud computing platform and AI technologies to the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF). Reports suggest that these technologies are being used for mass surveillance and military intelligence activities, including targeting operations during conflicts in Gaza and Lebanon.
The Arkane Lyon studio, a part of Microsoft's game development, has taken a stand against this partnership. In an open letter, they call for the termination of all current and future contracts with the Israeli military. This bold move comes from the studio's "STJV section," which offers protections that individual protesters did not previously have.
Microsoft's employees and allied protesters have been vocal in their opposition to the company's involvement with the Israeli military. Repeated protests have taken place at Microsoft's Redmond headquarters, with peaceful occupations, demonstrations, and disruptions to company events led by groups like No Azure for Apartheid. These actions have resulted in several arrests.
Microsoft defends its compliance with human rights standards, asserting that its contracts with Israel's Ministry of Defense are standard commercial agreements governed by clear terms of service and an AI Code of Conduct. However, internal and external reviews conducted by the company found no violations, although Microsoft acknowledges it has limited visibility into how technologies are used on private or localized systems by its clients.
The controversy has also sparked a call for an independent and public audit of Microsoft's technologies, contracts, services, and investments to ensure they are not being used to violate human rights principles. This call comes from the BDS movement, which has also launched a petition, No Azure for Apartheid, signed by over 2,000 Microsoft employees.
The ongoing assault on Gaza is estimated to have caused nearly 62,000 deaths as of August 12, 2025. This staggering figure has added fuel to the fire, with a group of more than 60 Microsoft shareholders rejecting the company's claim that it had investigated itself and found no wrongdoing. They have called for an in-depth report into the company's human rights due diligence procedures.
Sources have told investigators that the data collected by Microsoft's technology has been used to blackmail and jail Palestinians in the West Bank, and even justify killings by Israeli military forces after the fact. These allegations are serious and have added to the pressure on Microsoft to address the situation.
As of the article's publication, Microsoft has not responded to the open letter from Arkane Lyon. The company is actively reviewing the situation through legal and ethical investigations and has pledged to release findings once completed.
References:
- The Verge
- The Guardian
- Ars Technica
- The Intercept
- TechCrunch
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