Brian Eno, the composer of the Home windows 95 startup sound, has penned an open letter calling for Microsoft to cease offering synthetic intelligence and cloud companies to the Israeli navy. Titled “Not in My Identify,” the letter outlines the corporate’s technological assist for Israel’s Ministry of Protection, as detailed in a Microsoft weblog put up final week. “For those who knowingly construct techniques that may allow battle crimes, you inevitably develop into complicit in these crimes,” wrote Eno. In response, he pledges to donate his payment for the Home windows 95 composition to victims of the assaults in Gaza.
Within the letter, Eno mentioned his authentic work with Microsoft “represented a gateway to a promising technological future.” He added, “I by no means would have believed that the identical firm may in the future be implicated within the equipment of oppression and battle.”
Eno cited the Microsoft weblog put up as proof of its collaboration with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s authorities, and the corporate’s “assist of a regime,” he wrote, “that’s engaged in actions described by main authorized students and human rights organisations, the United Nations specialists, and growing numbers of governments from all over the world, as genocidal.”
Eno went on to precise solidarity with Microsoft staff who’ve “achieved one thing actually disruptive and refused to remain silent.” Discover his full letter under.
Brian Eno is a longtime critic of Israel and supporter of the pro-Palestine Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) motion. By way of his assist of the Palestinian folks and the BDS motion, he has usually urged musicians to not play concert events in Israel.
Not in My Identify: An Open Letter to Microsoft from Brian Eno
Within the mid-Nineteen Nineties, I used to be requested to compose a brief piece of music for Microsoft’s Home windows 95 working system. Tens of millions – presumably even billions – of individuals have since heard that quick start-up chime—which represented a gateway to a promising technological future. I gladly took on the challenge as a artistic problem and loved the interplay with my contacts on the firm. I by no means would have believed that the identical firm may in the future be implicated within the equipment of oppression and battle.
At present, I’m compelled to talk, not as a compser this time, however as a citizen by the position Microsoft is enjoying in a really totally different sort of composition: one which results in surveillance, violence, and destruction in Palestine.
In a weblog put up dated Could 15, 2025, Microsoft acknowledged that it gives Israel’s Ministry of Defence with “software program, skilled companies, Azure cloud companies and Azure AI companies, together with language translation.” It went on to state that “You will need to acknowledge that Microsoft doesn’t have visibility into how clients use our software program on their very own servers or different gadgets”. These “companies” assist a regime that’s engaged in actions described by main authorized students and human rights organisations, the United Nations specialists, and growing numbers of governments from all over the world, as genocidal. The collaboration between Microsoft and the Israeli authorities and military isn’t any secret and includes the corporate’s software program being utilized in deadly applied sciences with ‘humorous’ names like ‘The place’s Daddy?’ (- steerage techniques for monitoring Palestinians with the intention to blow them up of their properties).
Promoting and facilitating superior AI and cloud companies to a authorities engaged in systemic ethnic cleaning will not be ‘enterprise is common’. It’s complicity. For those who knowingly construct techniques that may allow battle crimes, you inevitably develop into complicit in these crimes.
We now dwell in an age the place firms like Microsoft usually command extra affect than governments. I imagine that with such an influence comes an absolute moral accountability. Accordingly, I name on Microsoft to droop all companies that assist any operations that contribute to violations of worldwide regulation.
My new begin up chime is that this: stand in solidarity with the courageous Microsoft staff who’ve achieved one thing actually disruptive and refused to remain silent. They danger their livelihoods for individuals who have misplaced and can proceed to lose their lives.
I invite artists, technologists, musicians, and all folks of conscience to hitch me on this name.
I additionally pledge that the payment I initially obtained for that Home windows 95 chime will now go in direction of serving to the victims of the assaults on Gaza. If a sound can sign an actual change then let or not it’s this one.
