Brian Eno, the famed musician known for creating the Windows 95 startup sound, has publicly called for Microsoft to sever its connections with Israel. He argues that the company’s provision of cloud and AI services to the Israeli government contributes to actions being described as genocidal by international human rights organizations.

In a statement shared on Instagram, Eno voiced his solidarity with Microsoft employees protesting the company’s ties to the Israeli military, emphasizing, “If you knowingly build systems that can enable war crimes, you inevitably become complicit in those crimes.”

Eno shared that he initially joined Microsoft for a creative project, but he never envisioned the company being linked to oppression: “I never would have believed that the same company could one day be implicated in the machinery of oppression and war.”

He urged Microsoft to halt any operations supporting violations of international law and commended workers who have risked their jobs in advocating for human rights.

“Selling and facilitating advanced AI to a regime engaged in systematic ethnic cleansing is not ‘business as usual’; it is complicity,” he stated.

Eno’s comments come in response to recent protests at Microsoft’s anniversary event and the company’s acknowledgment of its technical support for Israel’s Ministry of Defense, albeit with a denial of responsibility for the ensuing violence.