Microsoft fires two employee protesters who occupied president's office

Microsoft fired two employees who participated in a sit-in at the office of Vice Chairman and President Brad Smith. Software engineers Ricky Farmelli and Anna Hartl were both fired today after they were among seven protesters who broke into Smith's Building 34 office yesterday.

This resulted in Microsoft being forced to temporarily lock down its administrative building. Protesters live-streamed their entry into Smith's office on Twitch and demanded that the company cut ties with the Israeli government. Microsoft employees Anna Hattle and Riki Fameli were arrested in the incident, along with former Microsoft employees Vaniya Agrawal, Hossam Nasr and Joe Lopez. A former Google employee and another tech worker were also arrested.

An unnamed Microsoft spokesperson told GeekWire that the two employees were fired "due to serious violations of company policies and code of conduct."

Hours after the protesters were arrested, Brad Smith held an emergency press conference in his office. Smith sat at his desk and spoke to a crowd of reporters and viewers via a YouTube livestream. Smith said Microsoft is "committed to ensuring that its human rights principles and contractual service terms are upheld in the Middle East." He said the company launched an investigation earlier this month after The Guardian reported that Microsoft's Azure cloud platform was being used to spy on Palestinians.

Hartle was previously arrested during a protest at Microsoft headquarters last week. At that time, a group of protesters occupied a square at Microsoft's headquarters to protest the company's contract with Israel. Redmond police arrested 20 people. Protesters set up a "liberated zone" camp on the Microsoft campus and splashed red paint on the Microsoft logo on the campus.

The latest protest was started by No Azure for Apartheid, a group made up of current and former Microsoft employees who are demanding the company cut ties with the Israeli government. The group has staged various protests in recent months, most recently escalating to the homes and offices of Microsoft executives.