Microsoft Engineer’s Mass Resignation Email After 13 Years Goes Viral

A significant internal crisis continues to unfold at Microsoft, as employee protests over the company’s military contracts intensify despite recent service suspensions. The departure of a longtime principal software engineer, who resigned via a mass email to colleagues, underscores the deepening rift between staff and leadership over ethical concerns. Scott Sutfin-Glowski, after thirteen years with the tech giant, publicly severed ties, declaring he could no longer contribute to a company he believes is enabling severe human rights violations.

Sutfin-Glowski’s resignation represents the latest in a series of high-profile exits and terminations linked to Microsoft’s business with the Israeli military. In his email, he cited his refusal to be complicit in what he described as “the worst atrocities of our time,” opting to leave on his own terms rather than risk being fired for dissent. His decision follows the controversial dismissal of five other employees involved in protests related to Gaza, including four who staged a sit-in at the office of President Brad Smith last August.

Facing mounting pressure, Microsoft announced in September that it had discontinued certain cloud services for Israel’s Unit 8200. This move came after an investigation into a Guardian report alleging the intelligence unit used Microsoft’s Azure cloud platform to monitor an estimated one million calls per hour from Palestinians. However, this limited action was only taken after Smith issued a stern internal warning, defending the earlier firings by stating that occupying offices was grounds for termination, regardless of the cause.

The resignation coincides with a newly implemented ceasefire in Gaza. Sutfin-Glowski’s letter referenced an Associated Press investigation from February which found the Israeli military actively maintains hundreds of Microsoft subscriptions. He also criticized the company for dismantling internal communication channels that had previously allowed workers to voice policy concerns.

Protests flared again on Thursday at Microsoft’s Redmond headquarters, where the activist group No Azure for Apartheid unfurled banners with messages like “WE CALL BULLSHIT. CUT ALL TIES WITH ISRAEL NOW” and “Microsoft Build KILLS,” superimposing war imagery over the Azure logo. More than 1,500 employees have signed petitions urging the company to support a ceasefire. Among those previously terminated was Riki Fameli, an Azure Storage engineer, who stated that official channels for raising ethical concerns have become “dead ends.”

Brad Smith confirmed that Microsoft’s internal review corroborated parts of The Guardian’s reporting, leading to the suspension of cloud storage and AI services for Unit 8200. An Israeli security official told CNN the change had no effect on operational capabilities, while intelligence sources revealed to The Guardian that the unit migrated its vast surveillance data from Microsoft’s Dutch servers to Amazon Web Services shortly after the investigation became public.

Activist organizations acknowledge Microsoft’s September decision as a notable victory but emphasize that it impacts only one unit, leaving the bulk of military contracts unchanged. The No Azure for Apartheid coalition, which has campaigned for over a year, pledged to continue its efforts until Microsoft fully severs its ties. The company has declined to comment on Sutfin-Glowski’s resignation.

(Source: Times Of India)