Latest news with #JayParikh
CNBC
26-05-2025
- Business
- CNBC
Tech conferences are ramping up security to quell employee protests as political tensions rise
At Microsoft's annual Build conference on Tuesday, Executive Vice President Jay Parikh's keynote was interrupted by an employee protesting the company's contracts with the Israeli government. The protester at the Seattle Convention Center was quickly whisked away by security guards, including some undercover agents dressed like attendees. More than 800 miles south in Mountain View, California, security guards lined the mainstage of Google I/O, where Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai was set to speak. At the entrance to the developers conference, roughly two dozen black-clad guards rifled through bags, opening up lipstick cases and pulling out items, including women's feminine products, and confiscating over-the-counter pain medications. The vibe is different during this year's tech conference season. Tensions were already elevated after the October 2023 attack by Hamas on Israel and the extended bombing campaign in the Gaza Strip that followed. But they've heightened in recent months as artificial intelligence technologies advance at a rapid rate and an AI arms race has entered the most sensitive parts of society. Additionally, there's the aftermath of the fatal shooting in December of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in midtown Manhattan as the executive was on way on his way to an investor event. "We definitely have seen an uptick in the request for security, specifically in the last six to nine months," said Richard Dossett, client relations manager for American Global Security, which works with tech companies. "There have also been a lot of protests and civil upheaval, especially in Fortune 500 companies, with the landscape at the moment, so they want extra security to make sure they're not going to be hassled." Security firms and industry experts told CNBC that technology companies' increased work with governments has contributed to an uptick in security needs. AI companies in recent months have been walking back bans on military use of their products and entering into deals with defense industry giants and the Defense Department. Companies are responding to increased outrage in part by trying to quell internal dissent. Google last year expanded its list of prohibited discussion topics to include international issues, territorial disputes, national policy events and military conflicts. For Microsoft, this week's protests had recent precedent. In April, former employees interrupted the company's 50th anniversary celebrations, calling Microsoft AI CEO Mustafa Suleyman a "war profiteer." Ibtihal Aboussad, then a software engineer in the company's AI division, walked toward the stage at the event in Redmond, Washington saying, "You claim that you care for using AI for good, but Microsoft sells AI weapons to the Israeli military." Employees at the company had previously formed a group called No Azure for Apartheid, following the creation of similar movements at Google and Amazon directed at opposing work with the Israeli government. Parikh, who runs the newly created CoreAi group at Microsoft, heard that specific message during his Build speech this week. "Jay!" yelled the worker from the audience. "How dare you talk about AI when my people are suffering! Cut ties! No Azure for apartheid! CEO Satya Nadella was interrupted during his keynote by an employee named Joe Lopez. "Satya! How about you show how Microsoft is killing Palestinians?" Lopez screamed. "How about you show the Israeli war crimes are powered by Azure." Another employee followed, "As a Microsoft worker, I refuse to be complicit in this genocide. Free Palestine!" That employee was later fired, as was Lopez. Kenneth Bombace, CEO of Global Threat Solutions, said tech companies "have had robust security but I would say it has picked up in the last year or so, or even more recently." "It's sort of a turbulent world we live in, politically and otherwise right now," said Bombace, whose firm provides clients with protection and investigative services. Following the protests at Build, Microsoft employees reported that emails with the words Gaza, Palestine or genocide wouldn't send, and expressed concern they were being blocked by the company, according to screenshots, recordings and documents viewed by CNBC. Microsoft didn't respond to a request for comment about the heightened security. Regarding the email issue, a Microsoft spokesperson said in a statement that some messages were being "sent to tens of thousands of employees and we have taken measures to try and reduce those emails to those that have not opted in." Google didn't provide a comment about its security presence at I/O, but a spokesperson pointed to the list of prohibited items at Shoreline Amphitheater, where the conference took place. Google had a similar situation at its developer conference last year, when dozens of pro-Palestinian protesters rallied outside with red paint on signs and clothing to signify blood. Banners and signs read "Don't Be Evil" and "Stop fueling genocide." The demonstrators demanded the tech giant withdraw from its Project Nimbus contract, a $1.2 billion deal to provide AI technology to the Israeli government. "We won't stop 'til Nimbus is dropped," protesters chanted. Bombace said that as tech companies collaborate with governments, they "have to meet certain security standards." "We're providing services right now in response to activity based on the conflict in Gaza," Bombace said. Social media companies, he said, "have a whole unique footprint of issues because of the nature of their business and the things that are being posted on their platforms." Last year, during a keynote speech in New York from a Google executive, an employee in the company's cloud division protested publicly, proclaiming "I refuse to build technology that powers genocide." The hired event security forced him out of the building and the company later fired him. Google ended up terminating more than 50 employees after a series of protests against Project Nimbus last year. Dossett said he's also noticed an uptick in protesters trying to gain access to corporate campus buildings to record videos or take pictures to get their messages to the public. "When people try to invade a company's space and film it on camera and it goes viral — that's something other companies see and think 'we don't want that to happen to us,'" Dossett said. "It could affect their brand but largely, it's been about safety of the people." At Build, Microsoft's use of undercover guards plays into a growing trend, experts said. "They'll be in the crowd and say 'we have a suspicious male who's wearing a white shirt in row three,'" Bombace said. "There's a lot that goes on that the average person doesn't recognize and that's good." It's not just at conferences and on campuses where companies are taking extra measures for protection. Google lifted Pichai's security costs by 22% in 2024 to $8.27 million. At least a dozen S&P 500 companies have highlighted increased security costs, Reuters reported last month, based on an analysis of recent disclosures. Bombace said the AI arms race is a big reason for companies to boost spending in that area. "It's a race right now and that leads to increased security," Bombace said. He added that to foreign adversaries, "technology becomes the No. 1 target."
Business Insider
22-05-2025
- Business
- Business Insider
Legaltech unicorn Harvey has agreed to spend $150 million on Azure over two years, an internal memo shows
Legaltech startup Harvey has agreed to a two-year, $150 million commitment to use Azure cloud services, according to an internal email seen by Business Insider. Jay Parikh, who leads Microsoft's new CoreAI unit, included the deal in an internal memo, writing that his unit "announced expanded partnership with Harvey Al with a 2-year $150M MACC and $3.5M unified expansion." Parikh joined Microsoft in October to lead a new engineering group responsible for building its artificial-intelligence tools. Microsoft declined to comment, and Harvey declined to comment on the agreement. MACC, or Microsoft Azure Consumption Commitment, is an agreement customers make to spend a specific amount on Azure for a period of time, often for a discount. Harvey, which builds chatbots and agents tailored for legal and professional services, is scaling up and entering the enterprise market. It's adding legal teams at Comcast and Verizon as clients, while developing bespoke workflow software for large law firm customers. It has raised more than $500 million from investors, including Sequoia Capital, Kleiner Perkins, and OpenAI Startup Fund, a Harvey spokesperson told BI. Harvey has closely partnered with Microsoft since at least early 2024. That year, the company deployed its platform on Microsoft Azure, followed by a Word plug-in designed for lawyers. It also introduced a SharePoint integration, allowing users to securely access files from their Microsoft storage system through Harvey's apps. For years, Harvey, founded in 2022, ran its platform on OpenAI models, primarily because they're hosted in Microsoft's data centers, Harvey CEO Winston Weinberg told BI last month. Law firms handle highly sensitive information and trusted Microsoft to keep it safe, Weinberg said. "Law firms refused to use anything that wasn't through Azure," Weinberg said. That's now changing, he said, as vendors like Anthropic build the features enterprises require. Last week, Harvey expanded its use of foundation models to Google's Gemini and Anthropic's Claude. Still, Harvey's $150 million Azure deal signals it's not backing away from Microsoft anytime soon. The company's growing cloud footprint suggests that, while other partners are gaining traction with the legaltech start, Azure remains integral to Harvey's growth for now.
Yahoo
22-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
The Inner Circle acknowledges, Jay Parikh as an Inner Circle Lifetime
GREER, S.C., May 22, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Prominently featured in The Inner Circle, Jay Parikh is acknowledged as an Inner Circle Lifetime for his contributions to Workforce Transformation and AI Integration. Jay Parikh, a distinguished leader in workforce management and digital transformation, has built a career centered on optimizing operations and empowering teams through technology. As an expert in workforce optimization, contact center technology, CRM systems, AI integration, and quality assurance, Mr. Parikh drives scalable solutions that enhance both business outcomes and employee performance in controlled, high-impact environments. With a Bachelor of Business Administration from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Mr. Parikh has become known for his problem-solving acumen and forward-thinking leadership. In 2024, he was named Workforce Professional of the Year by the Global Workforce Management Forum (GWFM), further underscoring his influence in the industry. Over the years, he has contributed to global success through affiliations with SWFP and GWFM and remains committed to giving back through his support of the Children's Miracle Network. Among his greatest accomplishments is building strong, high-performing teams and mentoring professionals as they advance in their careers—something he considers equally rewarding as any business milestone. Looking ahead, Mr. Parikh aims to deepen his role in driving digital transformation and leveraging AI to optimize workforce functions globally. Guided by diligence, opportunity, and the mentorship of inspiring leaders, he continues to lead with purpose while prioritizing what matters most—his family. Contact: Katherine Green, 516-825-5634, editorialteam@ View original content: SOURCE The Inner Circle Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
The Verge
22-05-2025
- Business
- The Verge
Microsoft is racing to build an AI ‘agent factory'
When Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella ran into Meta's former engineering chief, Jay Parikh, at a conference last summer, he had the future of AI top of mind. The pair have known each other for around 15 years, but this meeting was different, and Nadella called Parikh shortly after bumping into him to dig into what was really on his mind. 'We were chatting about the future and chatting about all the stuff he needs to do here and that the team needs to do around AI,' Parikh, now head of Microsoft's CoreAI team, tells The Verge. 'That's when he said, 'Hey, why don't you come join and help me transform the company around all of this AI stuff?'' Nadella regularly talks about Microsoft being part of a new AI era, but he now wants the company to overhaul how it builds software to meet this new era head-on. Parikh, who transformed Facebook engineering teams, now leads a transformation that he describes as building an AI 'agent factory' for Microsoft's customers. 'I described this agent factory idea to Bill [Gates], not knowing that he and Paul [Allen] described Microsoft 50 years ago as the software factory,' Parikh says. 'Just like how Bill had this idea of Microsoft being a bunch of software developers building a bunch of software, I want our platform, for any enterprise or any organization, to be able to be the thing they turn into their own agent factory.' In essence, this idea of an AI agent factory is Microsoft's way of redefining its platform that businesses around the world already rely on and finding a coherent way to leverage the best bits of GitHub, Copilot, Azure AI Foundry, and even Azure to let businesses 'build their own factory to build agents,' Parikh says.
Yahoo
22-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Microsoft Plans to Integrate Anthropic's AI Coding Agent into its GitHub Platform
Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) declared that it will integrate an AI coding agent created by the Google-backed startup Anthropic into its GitHub platform. A development team working together to create the next version of Windows. Executive Vice President Jay Parikh announced it on Tuesday during the company's annual developer conference. The collaboration comes after the company launched its coding agent on GitHub, and it will also support OpenAI's coding agent. AI coding agents are intended to replace human coders in software development by automating tasks like bug repairs. Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) owns GitHub, a popular platform for managing software codebases. By providing tools from Anthropic and OpenAI, the company is balancing its partnerships with top AI companies and showing a move toward platform neutrality in the fierce AI market. The integration of Anthropic's agent improves GitHub's functionality and supports the firm's plan to boost the value of AI in developer ecosystems. While we acknowledge the potential of MSFT to grow, our conviction lies in the belief that some AI stocks hold greater promise for delivering higher returns and have limited downside risk. If you are looking for an AI stock that is more promising than MSFT and that has 100x upside potential, check out our report about this READ NEXT: and .
