Latest news with #VaniyaAgrawal
Time of India
24-05-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Who is Vaniya Agrawal, the Indian-American software engineer who disrupted Microsoft's two events this year
Former Microsoft engineer Vaniya Agrawal disrupts Build 2025 in Seattle, protesting the company's AI and cloud services agreement with Israel's Ministry of Defence An Indian- American software engineer has disrupted two of Microsoft's biggest events this year. The first incident occurred in April when the company celebrated its 50th anniversary in April when Vaniya Agarwal interrupted a panel featuring Bill Gates, Steve Ballmer, and Satya Nadella, accusing them of 'celebrating on the blood" of Palestinians. In the second incident, Agrawal disrupted Microsoft's annual developer conference when she, along with another fired Microsoft employee Hossam Nasr , shouted at the company's head of security for AI, Neta Haiby. The two protested against the company's cloud contracts with the Israeli government. Agarwal, after her protest at the company's anniversary celebrations, was fired shortly by Microsoft. She also sent out a mass email, saying she had decided to leave Microsoft and her last day will be April 11. 'Hi all, My name is Vaniya, and after 1.5 years as a software engineer at this company, Iʼve decided to leave Microsoft. My last day is next Friday, April 11. You may have seen me stand up earlier today to call out Satya during his speech at the Microsoft 50th anniversary. Hereʼs why I decided to leave the company, and why I spoke up today," Vaniya wrote in the email. Here's what we know about Agrawal who has now become a popular face in tech-sector 'activism' What Vaniya Agrawal's LinkedIn profile reads According to her LinkedIn profile, Vaniya Agrawal studied Software Engineering at Arizona State University. Agrawal began her career at Amazon in September 2019 as a Software Development Engineer. She was later promoted during her three-year tenure. In 2023, she moved to Microsoft, where she now works as a Software Engineer in the Artificial Intelligence division. While she was fired by Microsoft in April, her LinkedIn profile still reads 'Software Engineer at Microsoft'. Before moving into the tech industry, Ms. Agrawal explored a range of roles. She worked as a medical assistant in Naperville, Illinois, in 2016. A year earlier, she took on the role of a tea consultant, and in 2014, she briefly worked as a pharmacy technician. In addition, she ran a small business on Etsy from 2012 to 2014, selling handmade items through her shop, Vannushka. Is Vaniya Agrawal on Twitter, Instagram Vaniya Agrawal has been sharing videos of her protest at Microsoft event on her Instagram and Twitter accounts. Sharing photos from the protest at Microsoft Build 2025 event in one such post on Instagram, she wrote: 'WHILE YOU WERE AT MICROSOFT BUILD, HOW MUCH BLOOD HAS BEEN SPILLED?🗣️🗣️ MICROSOFT, YOU CAN'T HIDE! YOU MAKE TECH FOR GENOCIDE!' Agrawal is also a member of 'No Azure for Apartheid' group. She has been constantly sharing posts by the group. When Vaniya Agrawal 'shamed' Microsoft leaders Disrupting Microsoft's 50th anniversary event last month, Agrawal shouted at a panel of Microsoft CEOs – current Satya Nadella; and former CEOs Steve Ballmer and co-founder Bill Gates. She said 'Shame on you all. Youʼre all hypocrites. 50,000 Palestinians in Gaza have been murdered with Microsoft technology. How dare you. Shame on all of you for celebrating in their blood. Cut ties with Israel.' Vaniya was escorted out by the security immediately.
Mint
23-05-2025
- Business
- Mint
Vaniya Agrawal, Indian-origin techie, disrupts Microsoft event over Gaza again
Vaniya Agrawal, an Indian-American infamous for disrupting Microsoft events in protest against the tech giant's contracts with the Israeli government, once again interrupted proceedings – this time at the Microsoft Build 2025 conference in Seattle. She was joined by another former employee, Hossam Nasr, in continuing her demonstration. The high-profile AI security session was abruptly interrupted on day three of the conference during a keynote led by Neta Haiby, Microsoft's Head of AI Security, and Sarah Bird, Head of Responsible AI. Agrawal and Nasr entered the venue and loudly accused the company of complicity in the ongoing war in Gaza, demanding that Microsoft sever its ties with the Israeli military. The protest marked the third consecutive day of disruptions at the Build 2025 event. On May19, a Microsoft employee interrupted CEO Satya Nadella's keynote speech, criticising the company's relationship with Israel. The following day, a Palestinian tech professional disrupted a session led by Jay Parikh, Executive Vice President of Microsoft CoreAI, urging the company to 'cut ties' with Israel during his Azure AI presentation. This latest disruption is not the first time Vaniya Agrawal has protested at a Microsoft event. In April, Agrawal -- then an engineer in Microsoft's AI division -- confronted the company's current and former CEOs, Satya Nadella, Steve Ballmer, and Bill Gates, at its headquarters in Washington. She accused them of using Microsoft's technology to support what she described as "genocide in the Gaza Strip". Following the confrontation, Agrawal submitted a strongly worded resignation letter, announcing her final day would be 11 April, just days after the incident. In her letter, she wrote that she could no longer work for a company that, in her view, sided with oppressors rather than standing in solidarity with the oppressed. Agrawal also criticised Microsoft's reported $133 million contract with Israel's Ministry of Defence, claiming that the company's AI and Azure cloud services were directly enabling military actions against Palestinians. 'Microsoft cloud and AI make the Israeli military more lethal and destructive in Gaza,' she wrote in a company-wide email shortly after confronting the CEO on stage. Agrawal had joined Microsoft in September 2023 after more than three years at Amazon and had been working in the AI division. Following the April protest, Microsoft dismissed two employees — including Agrawal — who had disrupted the company's 50th anniversary event. The company described their actions as 'hostile, unprovoked, and highly inappropriate'.
Time of India
23-05-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Former Microsoft engineer Vaniya Agrawal continues anti-Israel protests by disrupting Build 2025 AI event
Tensions over Microsoft 's controversial Israel cloud agreements are boiling over once again, this time inside its own developer conference halls. On day three of the Build 2025 event in Seattle, the company was forced to pause an AI security session as former employees Vaniya Agrawal and Hossam Nasr confronted executives on stage. The disruption came during a high-profile presentation led by Neta Haiby, Microsoft's Head of AI Security, and Sarah Bird, the company's Head of Responsible AI. As the session progressed, Agrawal and Nasr loudly interrupted, accusing the company of complicity in the war in Gaza and demanding Microsoft sever ties with the Israeli military. Also read: Indian-American techie shouts 'Shame on you' to Microsoft bosses days before her resignation: Who is Vaniya Agrawal? by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Play War Thunder now for free War Thunder Play Now Undo The episode marked the latest in a string of escalating protests targeting Microsoft's ongoing cloud services agreement with Israel, reportedly worth $133 million. Build 2025 marred by protests over Israel ties This year's Build 2025, intended to showcase Microsoft's innovations in artificial intelligence and cloud computing , has instead become a flashpoint for internal dissent and activism. On May 19, a Microsoft employee interrupted CEO Satya Nadella's keynote address with a protest. A day later, a Palestinian tech professional disrupted an Azure AI session led by Jay Parikh, Executive Vice President of CoreAI, calling for Microsoft to "cut ties" with Israel. Live Events Agrawal's protest, however, adds deeper weight due to her public resignation and repeated activism. She first made headlines in April when she stormed Microsoft's 50th anniversary celebration at its Redmond headquarters, confronting Bill Gates, Steve Ballmer, and Nadella in person. Her actions led to her dismissal from the company. Vaniya Agrawal: from AI engineer to protest leader Agrawal had joined Microsoft in September 2023 after spending over three years at Amazon. At Microsoft, she worked in the AI division, but her tenure ended just seven months later when she submitted a fiery resignation letter denouncing what she called Microsoft's role in enabling 'genocide in the Gaza Strip.' Also read: Microsoft says it provided AI to Israeli military for war but denies use to harm people in Gaza "Microsoft cloud and AI enable the Israeli military to be more lethal and destructive in Gaza," she wrote in a company-wide email before leaving the firm on April 11. Microsoft swiftly condemned the disruptions, calling the behavior 'hostile, unprovoked, and highly inappropriate.' Alongside Agrawal, another employee involved in the April anniversary protest was also terminated. Despite the backlash, Agrawal has remained defiant. Her repeated interventions, including at Build 2025, suggest a growing movement within the tech community questioning corporate ties with military regimes and demanding greater ethical accountability in AI and cloud computing operations. Microsoft under pressure amid global backlash Microsoft's cloud services deal with Israel's Ministry of Defence has drawn increasing scrutiny from activists and employees alike. Critics argue the company's AI and Azure platforms are not only supporting military logistics but also exacerbating human rights violations in the Gaza Strip. Also read: Protester shouts 'show how Microsoft is killing Palestinians' during CEO Satya Nadella's key speech; Watch video here These employee-led protests are part of a broader trend across Silicon Valley, where tech workers are using their platforms to challenge corporate policies tied to global conflicts. As Microsoft continues to invest heavily in AI and expand its cloud footprint, the ethical dimensions of these contracts may become a permanent issue on its public stage.
NDTV
22-05-2025
- Business
- NDTV
Indian-Origin Techie Vaniya Agrawal Disrupts Microsoft Event Over Gaza, Again
Quick Read Summary is AI generated, newsroom reviewed. Pro-Palestine protests have occurred at Microsoft's Build 2025 conference. Former Microsoft engineer Vaniya Agrawal led protests against tech deals. Agrawal interrupted sessions, criticizing Microsoft's ties with Israel. Microsoft's Build 2025 conference in Seattle has been marred by consecutive days of protests led by pro-Palestine activists, including former Microsoft engineer Vaniya Agrawal. Agrawal, an Indian-American software engineer, has been a vocal critic of Microsoft's ties with Israel and has disrupted major events, including the company's 50th anniversary celebration in April. During the Build 2025 conference, Agrawal and fellow ex-employee Hossam Nasr interrupted a session on AI security, shouting down Microsoft's Head of Security for AI, Neta Haiby, and Head of Responsible AI, Sarah Bird. The protest was part of a larger movement within the tech sector, with activists demanding accountability for Microsoft's tech deals with Israel. Agrawal, who was fired shortly after her April protest, has become a visible face of tech-sector dissent, sharing ongoing protest imagery from Build 2025 on social media. In her resignation letter, Agrawal denounced Microsoft's alleged $133 million deal with Israel's Ministry of Defence, claiming the company's AI and Azure cloud services were actively supporting military operations against Palestinian people. "Microsoft cloud and AI enable the Israeli military to be more lethal and destructive in Gaza," Agrawal wrote in a company-wide email. The protests reflect rising internal dissent over Microsoft's role in supplying cloud infrastructure to the Israeli Ministry of Defence, amid heightened scrutiny over the humanitarian toll of the Gaza conflict. Microsoft has not publicly commented on the protests or the employees' dismissals. The disruptions began on May 19, when an employee interrupted CEO Satya Nadella's keynote by shouting "Free Palestine" and demanding accountability for Microsoft's tech deals with Israel. The following day, a Palestinian tech worker stormed executive Jay Parikh's Azure AI presentation, declaring, "Cut ties! No Azure for apartheid!" Agrawal's actions have sparked a wave of protests, highlighting the growing tensions between tech companies and their employees over issues of social responsibility and human rights.
India Today
22-05-2025
- Business
- India Today
Indian-origin techie gatecrashes Microsoft event over Gaza, yet again
An Indian-American software engineer, Vaniya Agrawal, who hit the headlines in April this year by disrupting Microsoft's 50th anniversary celebrations protesting the company's "ties with Israel", has once again interrupted a major event of the tech giant in the US' the recent incident, Agrawal, along with another former Microsoft employee, Hossam Nasr, interrupted the tech giant's ongoing annual Build 2025 developer Agrawal and Nasr confronted Neta Haiby, the company's Head of AI Security, and shouted during her appearance on the stage. Haiby was leading a Build session on AI security practices along with Sarah Bird, Microsoft's Head of Responsible AI, when the two former employees interrupted the were protesting Microsoft's cloud agreements with the Israeli demonstration marked the third straight day of disruptions at the event. Earlier, on May 19, a Microsoft employee interrupted CEO Satya Nadella's keynote address, protesting against the company's ties to Israel. A day later, a Palestinian tech professional also disrupted Jay Parikh's Azure AI session, urging the company to "cut ties" with Israel. Jay Parikh serves as Executive Vice President of Microsoft disruption by Vaniya Agrawal is not the first time she has disrupted a Microsoft PREVIOUSLY CONFRONTED MICROSOFT LEADERSHIP OVER WAR IN GAZAadvertisementVaniya Agrawal, who previously worked as an engineer in Microsoft's AI division, had publicly accused the company's leadership -- including Bill Gates and Satya Nadella -- of being complicit in civilian casualties in April, Vaniya confronted Microsoft's current and past CEOs -- Satya Nadella, Steve Ballmer, and Bill Gates -- at Microsoft's headquarters in Washington, accusing them of using the company's technology to aid "genocide in the Gaza Strip".Following the confrontation in April, she submitted a strongly worded resignation letter. In the letter she announced that her final day at Microsoft would be April 11, a few days after she penned the same. She wrote that she could no longer work for a company that, in her view, supported "oppressors" rather than standing with the denounced Microsoft's alleged $133 million deal with Israel's Ministry of Defence, claiming the company's AI and Azure cloud services were actively supporting military operations against Palestinian people."Microsoft cloud and AI enable the Israeli military to be more lethal and destructive in Gaza," she wrote in a company-wide email shortly after confronting the CEO who joined Microsoft in September 2023 after more than three years at Amazon, had been working in its AI Microsoft dismissed two employees, including Vaniya, who interrupted its 50th anniversary event in described the actions as "hostile, unprovoked, and highly inappropriate".
