$479,197,708.33—that’s how much a US Army contract will pay Microsoft for an “Integrated Visual Augmentation System.” The contract was awarded to Microsoft on November 20, and today some of the company’s employees have written an open letter to CEO Satya Nadella and president Brad Smith protesting the move and asking the company to “Cease developing any and all weapons technologies.”
The letter, titled “HoloLens For Good, Not War,” begins with the statement that “we refuse to create technology for warfare and oppression. We are alarmed that Microsoft is working to provide weapons technology to the U.S. Military, helping one country’s government ‘increase lethality’ using tools we build. We did not sign up to develop weapons, and we demand a say in how our work is used.”
The letter goes on to say that Microsoft plans to use HoloLens, its augmented reality headset, for this purpose. We actually reported on that back in November, when the contract was awarded. At the time, Smith wrote a blog post defending the company’s military partnerships.
That blog apparently didn’t satisfy the employees who wrote today’s open letter, as they stated “While the company has previously licensed tech to the U.S. Military, it has never crossed the line into weapons development. With this contract, it does. The application of HoloLens within the IVAS system is designed to help people kill. It will be deployed on the battlefield, and works by turning warfare into a simulated ‘video game,’ further distancing soldiers from the grim stakes of war and the reality of bloodshed.” The letter goes on to point out that many engineers worked on HoloLens before the contract existed, and are now seeing their work repurposed for military use.
The letter was tweeted publicly on Friday by Microsoft Workers 4 Good, asking for more employees to sign. According to a MS employee speaking to The Guardian, more than 50 employees had signed shortly after the letter was posted.
- Why Hasn’t the Government Gone After Trump for His $180 Million Breach of Contract?
- Rioting protester is set ablaze by his OWN Molotov cocktail in Portland as the city is convulsed by the 100th night of BLM demonstrations and unrest breaks out across the nation
- President calls for calm after protesters shot during Nigeria demonstration
- #EndSARS protests: Southern Nigeria boils as hoodlums go on rampage
- Army's most senior officer rejects Donald Trump's claim that generals pursue war to enrich defense firms saying troops are ONLY sent to fight as 'a last resort'
- Why Nigerians are protesting police brutality
- Epic Games warns users who sign in with Apple ID accounts that access will be blocked by the tech giant
- With Instagram, hashtags and bitcoin, young Nigerians boost anti-police protests
- 5 things to know for September 11: Coronavirus, election, protests, wildfires, Lesbos
- Trump Wants To Keep The Suburbs White. Black Women Say That’s Fine By Them.
- Coronavirus pandemic will change wedding industry forever, founder of 'Bridesmaid for Hire' says
- Jared Kushner accused on race after saying 'complaining' black Americans have to 'WANT to be successful' in order to benefit from Trump's policies
- Covid-19 drug rationed in the US is plentiful in developing countries
- Spain's salad growers are modern-day slaves, say charities
- Matt Hancock reveals that millions more people in South Yorkshire, West Yorkshire, Nottinghamshire, the North East and Teesside could be heading for Tier 3 lockdown with talks due to take place THIS WEEK
- Beijing Winter Olympics 2022 should not be held in China, human rights groups say in letter to IOC
- Netflix co-CEO Reed Hastings reveals 'smart' Prince Harry and Meghan Markle 'shopped' themselves 'around all major companies' before signing their lucrative deal - and predicts they will produce the site's 'most viewed content' next year
- #EndSARS protests: Violence continues as Buhari sues for peace
- Edge Magazine Presents: Game Changers – Microsoft enters the console race
- White House chief of staff says Donald Trump was targeting the 'military-industrial complex' when he said generals 'don't love me'- in aftermath of claims he called fallen heroes 'losers'
'We did not sign up to develop weapons' say Microsoft employees protesting $479 million HoloLens army contract have 653 words, post on www.pcgamer.com at February 22, 2019. This is cached page on Europe Breaking News. If you want remove this page, please contact us.