Protesters Briefly Seize Building on Microsoft Campus

Microsoft was forced to lock down a building on its corporate campus in Redmond after protesters occupied it briefly on Tuesday.

And not just any building: This is Building 34, where CEO Satya Nadella, president Brad Smith, and other top-level Microsoft executives have offices.

“We need to uphold our human rights standards, and we will,” Mr. Smith said at a hastily-convened press conference in his office after it was taken back from the protesters. “We need to sustain the dialogue with our employees, and we are committed to doing that. It’s essential that we maintain the security and safety of our campus and our facilities. We’ll do that as well.”

Microsoft has suffered from several high-profile incidents at the hands of protesters who demand that the software giant stop providing technology to Israel, which is engaged in a violent conflict with Palestine. The first came during the company’s 50th anniversary celebration in Redmond. The second was a series of events–most unreported—during Build 2025 in Seattle. Since then, protesters have taken to kayaks to protest from the water outside the lakeside homes of Mr. Nadella and other executives. And they’ve gathered on Microsoft’s campus, which the company allows.

And now this.

In the latest escalation, protesters assembled on Microsoft’s campus last week, leading to 20 arrests. And then several protesters occupied Building 34 on Tuesday after a Bloomberg report claimed that Microsoft had asked the FBI to help it identify the pro-Palestinian protesters who are targeting the company.

The protesters have been mostly peaceful, but when protesters entered Building 34 on Tuesday, locked themselves in offices, and resisted security guards, Microsoft was forced to call the police. Seven protesters found inside Building 34 were arrested, while the other 20 protesters outside dispersed when asked to do so by the police.

There are an estimated 200 people, mostly former and current Microsoft employees, engaged in protesting Microsoft allowing Israel to use its technology. Microsoft said this Spring that it had investigated the group’s claims and found no evidence that Azure or other Microsoft products are being used illegally.

“The vast majority [of Israel’s use of Microsoft technology is to] protect the cybersecurity of the State of Israel,” Smith said Tuesday. “We cannot do everything that we might wish to change the world, but we know our role. We’re here to provide technology in a principled and ethical way.”