Microsoft Asked FBI for Help Tracking Palestinian Protests
Twenty activists urging company to sever ties with Israeli military were arrested last week. Executive Brad Smith said he welcomed discussion but not disruption.
Demonstrators hold Palestinian flags during a protest at the Microsoft Campus in Redmond, Washington, on Aug. 19.
Photographer: David Ryder/BloombergFor the better part of a year, Microsoft Corp. has failed to quell a small but persistent revolt by employees bent on forcing the company to sever business ties with Israel over its war in Gaza.
The world’s largest software maker has requested help from the Federal Bureau of Investigation in tracking protests, worked with local authorities to try and prevent them, flagged internal emails containing words like “Gaza” and deleted some internal posts about the protests, according to employees and documents reviewed by Bloomberg. Microsoft has also suspended and fired protesters for disrupting company events.