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 providers to the Israeli navy. Titled “Not in My Title,” the letter outlines the corporate’s technological help for Israel’s Ministry of Protection, as detailed in a Microsoft weblog put up final week. “When you knowingly construct programs that may allow struggle crimes, you inevitably turn into complicit in these crimes,” wrote Eno. In response, he pledges to donate his charge for the Home windows 95 composition to victims of the assaults in Gaza.
Within the letter, Eno stated his unique work with Microsoft “represented a gateway to a promising technological future.” He added, “I by no means would have believed that the identical firm might someday be implicated within the equipment of oppression and struggle.”
Eno cited the Microsoft weblog put up as proof of its collaboration with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s authorities, and the corporate’s “help of a regime,” he wrote, “that’s engaged in actions described by main authorized students and human rights organisations, the United Nations specialists, and rising numbers of governments from around the globe, as genocidal.”
Eno went on to precise solidarity with Microsoft employees 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. Via his help of the Palestinian folks and the BDS motion, he has usually urged musicians to not play concert events in Israel.
Not in My Title: An Open Letter to Microsoft from Brian Eno
Within the mid-Nineties, I used to be requested to compose a brief piece of music for Microsoft’s Home windows 95 working system. Tens of millions – probably 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 undertaking as a inventive problem and loved the interplay with my contacts on the firm. I by no means would have believed that the identical firm might someday be implicated within the equipment of oppression and struggle.
Right now, I’m compelled to talk, not as a compser this time, however as a citizen by the function Microsoft is taking part in in a really completely different form 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 providers, Azure cloud providers and Azure AI providers, together with language translation.” It went on to state that “You will need to acknowledge that Microsoft doesn’t have visibility into how prospects use our software program on their very own servers or different units”. These “providers” help a regime that’s engaged in actions described by main authorized students and human rights organisations, the United Nations specialists, and rising numbers of governments from around the globe, as genocidal. The collaboration between Microsoft and the Israeli authorities and military is not any secret and entails the corporate’s software program being utilized in deadly applied sciences with ‘humorous’ names like ‘The place’s Daddy?’ (- steerage programs for monitoring Palestinians so as to blow them up of their properties).
Promoting and facilitating superior AI and cloud providers to a authorities engaged in systemic ethnic cleaning is just not ‘enterprise is common’. It’s complicity. When you knowingly construct programs that may allow struggle crimes, you inevitably turn into complicit in these crimes.
We now dwell in an age the place companies like Microsoft usually command extra affect than governments. I consider that with such an influence comes an absolute moral duty. Accordingly, I name on Microsoft to droop all providers that help any operations that contribute to violations of worldwide legislation.
My new begin up chime is that this: stand in solidarity with the courageous Microsoft employees who’ve achieved one thing actually disruptive and refused to remain silent. They threat 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 affix me on this name.
I additionally pledge that the charge 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.