In the wake of the growing political tensions after the assassination of Charlie Kirk, Tesla CEO Elon Musk has questioned Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella on why his staff appeared to celebrate the killing of the political commentator. Musk shared screenshots of Microsoft staff sharing, both permanent and contractual, celebrating the assassination of Kirk.
The controversy stems from an unverified social media thread on X (formerly Twitter), which allegedly showed developers at Activision Blizzard, a subsidiary of Microsoft, celebrating the shooting of conservative political commentator Charlie Kirk.
The incident gained significant attention after Utah Governor Spencer Cox called the attack a ‘politically motivated assassination.’ While the authenticity of the social media posts has not been confirmed, the online backlash was swift. It prompted Musk to directly address the matter to Nadella on the public platform, asking, “What is happening here?”, following it up with another post stating, “These are Microsoft employees.”
Microsoft responds to social media screenshots
In response to the controversy, Microsoft released a public statement on X, clarifying that “comments celebrating violence against anyone are unacceptable and do not align with our values.” The company also stated it was reviewing the situation.
Prior to Musk bringing up the issue, another social media user on X called on Microsoft to review why one of its employees supported the assassination attempt. Microsoft, however, denied any association of the involved person, stating, “We’re aware of the misinformation being shared. The individual in question is not a Microsoft employee. We take these matters seriously and are working to ensure accurate information is reflected across our platforms.”
Corporate world taking strict action against controversial commentary
Microsoft isn’t the only corporate firm involved in the controversy. Recently, American Airlines employees were also found to celebrate the assassination of Kirk and the company responded by letting go of the involved employee, a pilot flying with the airline.
“American Airlines condemns violence of any kind. Furthermore, hate-related or hostile behavior runs contrary to our purpose, which is to care for people on life’s journey. Any such behavior is unacceptable, and we have already initiated action to address this with our team,” wrote the team.
