The Boss Has Had It with All the Office Activists
Key topics
As Microsoft staffers were fired for breaking into an executive's office to protest the company's involvement in the Gaza crisis, commenters debated the severity of their actions, with some pointing out that the employees' wiretapping and theft made their firing more justifiable. However, others drew parallels to the Watergate scandal, with one commenter noting that, in today's climate, such actions by a president might not even lead to resignation, let alone accountability. The discussion took a somber turn as one commenter lamented that "we live in a society where committing genocide is acceptable," highlighting the gravity of the issue that sparked the protests. The thread reveals a complex web of opinions on activism, corporate responsibility, and the limits of protest.
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- 01Story posted
Aug 29, 2025 at 12:43 PM EDT
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A bit sensationalist: [the original two staffers] were fired for breaking into an executive's office which will get you fired nearly anywhere, if not have you brought up on criminal charges.
I'm afraid the younger generations have never grown out of the college bubble if they think stuff like this is acceptable. It's quite insane actually.
Recall a President of the United States resigned because someone broke into an office.
[Edit]: It appears I misread, this is an additional two employees, on top of the two that did the B&E, bringing the total to four. It's unclear what these two did specifically (the article doesn't say) but I imagine MS has had it with the shenanigans.
To be fair they were also wiretapping/stealing stuff, which makes it slightly more serious than breaking in just to protest.
Funny you should mention that because the group also planted listening devices in his office, under couch cushions and behind books, so no, they didn't break in "just to protest".
Source: Brad Smith 8/25 press conference https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T6tl7KoIVgA
What did they think they were going to find with the listening devices? This sounds like the tactic of someone who is looking for a specific admission when they already have enough evidence to know something illegal is happening, but not how far up the hierarchy it goes.
Considering what era we are actually living in, B&E to merely protest should not be a first time firing offense.
We don't know exactly why Nixon resigned, but we know that it was not "because someone broke into an office".