Microsoft HQ in Lockdown as Activists Occupy President Brad Smith's Office

Microsoft headquarters in Redmond, Washington were temporarily locked down after protesters from the "No Azure for Apartheid" group stormed the building and entered president Brad Smith's office. The group, which includes current and former Microsoft employees, live-streamed their protest on Twitch and hung banners with anti-genocide slogans. The protest is part of a larger movement against Microsoft's cloud contracts with Israel, which the group claims supports genocide.

Microsoft headquarters in Redmond, Washington, were temporarily locked down on Tuesday after protesters from the "No Azure for Apartheid" group stormed the building and entered president Brad Smith's office. The group, which includes current and former Microsoft employees, live-streamed their protest on Twitch and hung banners with anti-genocide slogans. The protest is part of a larger movement against Microsoft's cloud contracts with Israel, which the group claims support genocide [1].

The protesters, who were part of the ongoing "No Azure for Apartheid" campaign, demanded that Microsoft cut ties with Israel and publicly oppose Israeli military actions in Gaza. They also called for reparations to Palestinians and an end to workplace discrimination [3]. The protest is the latest in a series of actions by employees and activists criticizing Microsoft's business ties to Israel [2].

The security breach was first publicized at 1 p.m. by No Azure for Apartheid, who said protesters sat and chanted in Microsoft President Brad Smith’s office in Building 34, where they also hung banners [2]. The building was renamed the "Mai Ubeid Building" in honor of a Palestinian software engineer killed in Gaza in 2023 [3]. The group also delivered a "symbolic summons" accusing Smith of human rights violations [3].

The protest mirrors tactics used by Google employees in April 2024, who staged coordinated protests across New York and California offices, with five occupying Google Cloud CEO Thomas Kurian's office for nine hours [1]. The Google protesters targeted Project Nimbus, a $1.2 billion contract with Amazon that provides Israel’s government and military with cloud computing and AI tools [1].

Microsoft has not issued a public statement regarding the incident, but the company has stated it is looking into the use of the Azure platform in Israel [1]. The protest highlights the growing pressure on tech companies to address their role in the Israel-Palestine conflict and the potential risks to their reputation and business operations.

References:
[1] https://techcrunch.com/2025/08/26/microsoft-headquarters-go-into-lockdown-after-activists-take-over-brad-smiths-office/
[2] https://www.seattletimes.com/business/microsoft/protesters-breach-microsoft-presidents-office-decrying-israel-work/
[3] https://komonews.com/news/local/pro-palestinian-protesters-breach-microsoft-executives-building-hold-sit-in-redmond-washington-microsoft-bill-gates-brad-smith-israel-palestine-gaza-genocide-conflict-workers-discrimination-america-ai-contacts-tech-weapons