00:00I actually joined my company, I joined Microsoft a week before October 7th, 2023.
00:06And in the following week, I quickly realized how the company I was working at had a direct hand in
00:15the escalation of the ongoing occupation and the ongoing genocide in Gaza.
00:21And it was during that time that I started to learn more and more about Microsoft's direct ties to the
00:26Israeli military, the contracts that they had that were providing cloud and AI services to make the genocide that much
00:33more deadly and destructive in Gaza.
00:37And as I started to learn more about that, I started to feel complicit myself, even though I wasn't directly
00:43working on the tech that was involved in the surveillance of and targeting of Palestinians in Gaza and the West
00:49Bank.
00:50I still felt that giving my time and energy and my life to a company that was complicit in this
00:56economy of genocide made me complicit myself.
01:00I felt like my hands were bloodied and I couldn't fathom continuing to work there.
01:05And it was at that moment that I found the No Azure for Apartheid campaign who helped me learn my
01:12position and power as a Microsoft employee in the belly of the beast.
01:17And it helped me realize the power that I have as an employee within the company to apply direct pressure
01:24on the CEOs.
01:26And it's when I learned that that I knew that I had to make the most of my privilege and
01:31my position and do as much as I could to speak up.
01:34I think we've seen how our message has echoed across the world since our protests.
01:41But even if we hadn't gotten that response and we still got fired, I would have the same answer.
01:47Our goal was to educate people, to raise awareness and to shift the public perception of Microsoft.
01:53And even if I just changed the minds of a couple of employees within Microsoft, I still would have felt
01:58like what I did was worth it and worth the cost.
02:01I feel like, especially being at this award ceremony, honored alongside martyrs, like, yeah, yeah, I feel like what I
02:11gave up and what I sacrificed is such a minuscule price to pay to fight.
02:16I don't think I had any clue how far and why the message would spread, but I'm so glad that
02:24it did.
02:25Our campaign actually recently, we have been continuing to escalate direct pressure against Microsoft ever since that protest of spring
02:36last year.
02:36And just a couple of months ago, as a result of all of our direct action, we actually saw Microsoft
02:43partially divest from Unit 8200, which is the spy unit of the Israeli military.
02:49And that's been a huge win for tech workers fighting for the liberation of Palestine across the board.
02:58This is unprecedented, especially from big tech companies, and it just goes to show how much the message has spread,
03:05how much pressure people are applying on these companies, and how much that pressure works.
03:12I would say, first and foremost, being a tech employee in the belly of the beast in the Western world
03:17at a big tech company, you are in a very unique position.
03:21You have channels that other people do not have to apply pressure internally on Microsoft executives and leadership.
03:28And you also have access to information that the general public does not.
03:33And I would say, before you think about leaving your company, think about what you can do to resist from
03:38inside.
03:38Think about what you can do to talk to your coworkers, to build community, and find like-minded people that
03:44you actually work with and organize together within the company.
03:47Sometimes that can have just as much, if not more, of an impact than protesting and leaving.
03:54If you're in a position where you can leave and you can put that on the line, I would say
03:59don't go quietly.
04:00Speak up and speak out and speak as loudly as you can.
04:06And I think a lot of these companies want us to be silent.
04:09They want us to feel isolated.
04:11And everything we can to do to break that makes a huge, huge difference.
04:16No small, no act is too small in this fight.
04:19I think, first of all, I feel honored to be even here alongside the other awardees, to be alongside martyrs
04:29and journalists in Gaza and their families.
04:33I think, when it comes to the Communication Award, and just thinking about how communication impacts these movements,
04:41I think, like I said, it's these companies that are engaged in this economy of occupation and genocide.
04:49They want us to be silent.
04:51They want us to be isolated.
04:52And they do everything in their power to keep us silent, to keep us ignorant to our power.
05:01And when it comes to communication, sometimes the biggest thing you can do is just say something.
05:08Speak up and refuse to be silent.
05:11Hold your company accountable and reclaim your labor.
05:16Know where your labor is going.
05:18Know what you're giving your time and energy to.
05:21And refuse to give your time, energy, and money to a corporation that is complicit in genocide.
05:27Thank you.
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