Microsoft shut down a discussion between employees about the Israel-Hamas war, internal messages show.
In a post viewed by around 90,000 users of Microsoft’s internal “all company” message board, one employee wrote about feeling a “strong sense of disillusionment with our work and the company” over what the person viewed as “one-sided statements” by its senior leaders.
“Amidst the ongoing Palestinian Israeli war, it saddens me to witness a company that so strongly promotes Diversity and Inclusion show such strong discrimination and marginalization,” the person wrote. “It appears to me that the company is oblivious to the overwhelming and disproportionate suffering of the Palestinian people.”
The post had around 600 reactions and 60 comments before Microsoft closed the post to comments.
“We are now closing this thread for comments,” a community manager wrote. “We ask that you continue to practice compassion and kindness to each other and remember to follow Microsoft 365 Usage Guidelines when engaging in dialogue on Viva Engage.” Viva Engage is Microsoft’s employee engagement platform that includes corporate chat boards, previously called Yammer.
The post does not specifically reference which comments from senior leaders the employee viewed as biased.
On October 10, Microsoft Chief People Officer Kathleen Hogan wrote an internal email to employees on behalf of the SLT, condemning “the horrific terrorist attacks in Israel” and “the atrocities we continue to watch unfold.” She never mentioned Hamas by name.
“Together with the senior leadership team (SLT), I want to express my deepest sympathy for those who have been killed, injured, lost loved ones, and all those impacted by this violence,” Hogan wrote. “Together we condemn this hatred and brutality. To everyone impacted, please know we are all with you in our hearts and in our actions, and we will continue to do everything we can to support you and keep you safe.”
Hogan said Microsoft has 3,000 employees in Israel directly impacted.
“We have Jewish employees around the world who are also experiencing grief, fear and anxiety as hatred and vitriol increase,” Hogan wrote. “We have Palestinian employees globally who are deeply concerned for the safety of their loved ones in the region and stand against these acts of terrorism.”
A leader of the Jews at Microsoft Employee Resource Group in an email to some employees, on the same day as Hogan’s statement, more strongly condemned Hamas, the Palestinian militant group.
“I understand that this can become a highly charged topic with complex political and cultural nuances. Some might argue in this moment that the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is a two-sided issue that requires balance in discourse,” the person wrote in another email viewed by Insider.
“Let me be clear: I believe in the dignity and rights of all human beings, regardless of their ethnicity or religion. Innocent Palestinians deserve protection just as innocent Israelis do,” the person continued. “However, creating false equivalencies, particularly in the wake of such a catastrophic, unprovoked attack, diminishes the sheer magnitude of the tragedy and implicitly sends a message that these actions are somehow justified. They are not.”
“Hamas’s stated goal is to eradicate the Jewish presence in Israel, a goal that does not reflect the broader will of the Palestinian people,” they wrote. “We cannot stand by while this kind of violence unfolds, against any group.”
Microsoft isn’t the only company with a large workforce in Israel trying to navigate the situation. Nvidia, which also employs around 3,000 in Israel, just told its employees, according to an internal email, it will match their humanitarian donations to “Israel, Gaza, or both” as it tries to raise $10 million for those efforts.
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