Indian-American software engineer Vaniya Agrawal, who previously made headlines for disrupting Microsoft’s 50th anniversary celebrations, has once again interrupted a high-profile company event. This time, Agrawal disrupted the ongoing Microsoft Build 2025 developers conference, marking yet another escalation in a series of pro-Palestine protests targeting the tech giant.
At the event, Agrawal, accompanied by former Microsoft employee Hossam Nasr, interrupted a session co-hosted by Neta Haiby, Microsoft’s Head of Security for AI, and Sarah Bird, Head of Responsible AI. The two were speaking on best security practices for artificial intelligence when the disruption occurred. The protest was aimed at Microsoft’s cloud computing contracts with the Israeli government.
This marks the third consecutive day of disruptions at Microsoft Build 2025 in protest of the company’s alleged complicity in Israeli military operations.
- May 19: A Microsoft employee interrupted CEO Satya Nadella’s keynote address, shouting “Free Palestine” and calling on the company to end its association with Israel.
- May 20: Palestinian tech worker disrupted Executive VP Jay Parikh’s presentation, yelling, “Jay! My people are suffering! Cut ties! No Azure for apartheid! Free, free Palestine!” before being removed by security.
The First Disruption: Microsoft’s 50th Anniversary
Vaniya Agrawal first gained attention in April when she interrupted a panel featuring CEO Satya Nadella, former CEO Steve Ballmer, and co-founder Bill Gates during Microsoft’s 50th anniversary event. She accused the executives of hypocrisy, shouting:
“Shame on you all. You’re all hypocrites. 50,000 Palestinians in Gaza have been murdered with Microsoft technology. How dare you celebrate in their blood. Cut ties with Israel.”
She was quickly escorted out of the venue and subsequently terminated by Microsoft without completing her notice period.
Another protester at that event, Ibtihal Aboussad, was also fired for similar disruptions, with the company citing “acts of misconduct.”
Email Censorship Claims Surface
In the wake of these protests, The Verge reported that Microsoft employees discovered internal email filters blocking messages containing terms such as “Palestine” or “Gaza.” The blocks reportedly prevented emails from being delivered both within the company and externally.
Who Is Vaniya Agrawal?
Vaniya Agrawal was a software engineer in Microsoft’s Artificial Intelligence division. Following her protest at the anniversary event, she publicly shared her resignation email, which was sent to CEO Nadella and thousands of Microsoft employees. In it, she detailed her objections to the company’s contracts and stated she had been employed at Microsoft for over 18 months.
Since then, Agrawal has remained active on social media, especially on X (formerly Twitter), where she has shared multiple images and updates related to the Build 2025 protests and demonstrations taking place around Microsoft’s venues.
