Microsoft responds to headquarters being stormed by group that planted devices

Microsoft has called an emergency press conference only hours after a group of protesters stormed a building at the company's headquarters.

The emergency press conference was held in the same room where protesters had earlier that day entered without permission, as Microsoft's Vice Chair and President, Brad Smith, addressed a group of reporters to discuss the situation. The press conference was also livestreamed directly to the official Microsoft YouTube channel, and its 15-minute duration can be viewed above.

The protesters that stormed Microsoft's headquarters in Redmond, Washington, were part of the No Azure for Apartheid group, which entered Microsoft's premises without permission and locked employees out of offices. Smith added that the protesters even planted crude listening devices in the form of smartphones under couches and behind books. The Microsoft vice president stated that the protesters refused to leave, and as a result, the Redmond police were called, and they were removed.

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Smith revealed that of the seven protesters, two are Microsoft employees, and one is a former Google employee. Smith seemingly joked that "I think it's the closest a Google employee has gotten to my office in the 23 years I've been here."

The Microsoft vice chair and president said Microsoft is "committed to ensuring its human rights principles and contractual terms of service are upheld in the Middle East," and the rest of the world. Notably, Smith revealed that the security of the headquarters has "stood the test of time" since the facility was designed in 2002, "until today," and that Microsoft will be adjusting its security measures accordingly.