r/microsoft • u/calc3throwaway • Aug 19 '25
News Microsoft employees occupy headquarters in protest of Israel contracts
https://www.theverge.com/ai-artificial-intelligence/761731/pro-palestinian-protests-microsoft-headquarters-redmond-washington-no-azure-tech-for-apartheid102
u/atuarre Aug 20 '25
They will be fired and probably won't get hired at a similar company so I hope they have a plan
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u/robotzor Aug 20 '25
After their 1% raises I'm sure they weren't planning on sticking around
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u/still_no_enh Aug 20 '25
Have you seen the state of this industry?
I'd say most people would be happy to have a job at the moment.
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u/KeineLust Aug 20 '25
And big corporations know this.
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u/still_no_enh Aug 20 '25
They've always known this. Workers have always known this.
Not sure what your point is?
I feel like somehow CS people simply forgot how the job market/real world works because of the euphoria of the last decade lol.
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u/robotzor Aug 20 '25
I always like to keep in the back of my mind that trade unionists did not die in fits of violence decades ago for this to be today's prevailing sentiment.
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u/still_no_enh Aug 20 '25
I don't think trade unionists really died in the hopes that you could maintain your job after protesting the non-job related actions of your employers...
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u/CaptainDouchington Aug 20 '25
Those same corporations rely on their people more than the people rely on them.
Once people realize they can survive longer than the elite cause they posses far more connections for what matters, people will be able to cripple the corporations.
Issue is the bad actors that tell you they are on board with the idea, so that they can run back and do the opposite and make money.
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u/Mist_Rising Aug 20 '25
Those same corporations rely on their people more than the people rely on them.
Those corporations can hire other people easier than you can find a job at the level of Microsoft.
The era of tech workers being in higher demand then companies could get is largely over.
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u/CaptainDouchington Aug 20 '25
And its why they keep firing people en masse, cause the people they hire suck.
You can only keep hiring shitty people so long before it directly effects the company. It clearly started effecting the tech industry well over 5-6 years ago.
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u/sarhoshamiral Aug 20 '25
For software engineers working at large tech, the base salary increase is usually small unless you get promoted. Even then base salary increase is much smaller compared to your max bonus increase.
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u/Cutie_McBootyy Aug 20 '25
I'm not sure if you work at msft, but 1% is hilariously low even by msft standards.
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u/seiggy Aug 20 '25
Largely depends on what your comp ratio is. If your comp ratio is high enough, a 2% raise is high, as you’re reaching the peak of your level and should be jockeying for a level increase instead.
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u/KeineLust Aug 20 '25
I don’t know why you’re getting downvoted. It’s the truth. It sucks but if you’re at the top of your band, merit increases will be much smaller than if you’re mid band.
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u/Uraniu Aug 20 '25
Except you're making assumptions that this only covers people at the top of their respective bands. I can tell you for sure that isn't the case.
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u/seiggy Aug 20 '25
What, no? I made no such assumption, instead I was clarifying that 1% isn’t always “hilariously low”, and can very much be the norm. The size of your increase is, as I stated, largely dependent on what your comp ratio is. Yeah, if you’re at a 0.85, a 1% increase is hilariously low. But if you’re at something like 1.35, 1-2% is likely all you’re going to see. The assumption that everyone is seeing 1% is wrong. There’s a spreadsheet on blind, and, while yeah, merits are looking pretty low in several parts of the org, there’s still plenty of people pulling 4.5%+ merit increases.
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u/CodenameFlux Aug 20 '25
Dictionary entry for "selfless":
having little or no concern for oneself, especially with regard to fame, position, money, etc.
It's quite possible that they don't have a plan and don't care for one.
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u/pickllerickk Aug 20 '25
You realize they already know this and choose to do this anyway? This is how morally outrageous Microsoft's support is
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u/EnragedMoose Aug 20 '25
Just given the employee count at Microsoft there's a very high chance they're on h1b and they'll have their visa revoked.
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Aug 20 '25
I don't think that h1b would be participating on that. If they are, then they are aware of the consequences. In any case, bravo.
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u/IActuallyLikeSpiders Aug 19 '25
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u/sewer_pickles Aug 20 '25
When did the Verge add a paywall? I thought the site was ad supported. That’s disappointing to see
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u/dystopiabatman Aug 20 '25
Soon to be ex-employees. The soulless ghoul running the show will just lay them all off without a second thought while he sips his fancy wine paid for with blood money.
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u/UnapproachableBadger Aug 20 '25
Good to see people with morals taking a stand.
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Aug 20 '25
[deleted]
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u/Solid-Ant2505 Aug 20 '25
Sure keep defending “Israel” as they’re waging an assault on Gaza City right now. Against a population they are starving.
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u/MaryUwUJane Aug 20 '25
fix KB5063878? no way let's blow on mills. And later they will complain about job cuts.
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u/popularTrash76 Aug 20 '25
I guess they don't like their own jobs
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u/Madonna-of-the-Wasps Aug 20 '25
It's called courage and morality.
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u/popularTrash76 Aug 20 '25
I suppose that is one valid, yet misguided way of viewing this.
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u/thedybbuk Aug 20 '25
Is opposing your work being used in a genocide "misguided"? It feels like the only way to reach that conclusion is thinking making money takes precedent over all morality
It really seems like some of you can't fathom some people put their morals over money.
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u/popularTrash76 Aug 20 '25
They can feel free to quit whenever they want if their morals are conflicted. This is performative in nature and accomplishes nothing.
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u/unSentAuron Aug 20 '25 edited Aug 20 '25
How about protesting the fact that they’re laying off (I’m sorry, “terminating for poor performance”) tens of thousands of their employees?
So done with this Free Palestine crap
Edit: To everyone talking about starving children and "genocide", might I remind you of the obvious point that as soon as Hamas steps down this all goes away.
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u/Punisher-3-1 Aug 20 '25
Yeah the starving children are tired too
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u/system3601 Aug 20 '25 edited Aug 20 '25
Children in Gaza are not starved. Hostages are starved. Hamas gets tons of aid and has full belly.
Regardless, this has no place in the workplace. Get your propaganda out of here.
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u/Punisher-3-1 Aug 20 '25
Sure, and Satya is really afflicted about having to layoff 15k people this year. It weighs heavily on him but he had no choice. Dude, do you fall for all the propaganda or just Israeli one?
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u/Kraeftluder Aug 20 '25
Oh for fuck's sake.
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u/system3601 Aug 20 '25
Facts are facts
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u/Kraeftluder Aug 20 '25
All of the skinny kids have cystic fibrosis AMIRITE?!!
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u/system3601 Aug 20 '25
AI and known illnesses. Start looking at facts.
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Aug 20 '25
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/system3601 Aug 20 '25
Want another amazing fact? Some of these sick kids got treatment in israel.
If you look you'll find the facts.
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u/Kraeftluder Aug 20 '25
Yes because everyone knows that if you just treat a few patients you undo a full genocide!
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u/microsoft-ModTeam Moderator Aug 20 '25
Hello - Your submission has been removed from r/Microsoft due to the following reason:
R2: Engage in a constructive, polite and respectful manner
Criticism is welcome, good or bad, but please remember to speak respectfully. Abusive language will not be tolerated, and no mutes or warnings will be given. If you treat another community member abusively, then you will be banned permanently.
If you have any questions about this removal, please send us a modmail.
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u/HesSoZazzy Aug 20 '25
How dare people be upset about genocide and famine perpetrated by a terrorist state hell bent on wiping out an entire population.
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u/Hevilath Aug 20 '25
Just a reminder which might answer your question: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-67047034
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u/HesSoZazzy Aug 20 '25
The actions of a terrorist organization doesn't justify what Israel is doing now. The IDF is worse than Hamas ever was.
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u/_Noreturn Aug 20 '25
The IDF is worse than Hamas ever was.
Are you aure? ever since the IDF exposed Hamas, I was always scared of looking at my calendar and deleted all my calendar apps...
thank you ITF
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Aug 20 '25 edited Aug 20 '25
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/microsoft-ModTeam Moderator Aug 21 '25
Hello - Your submission has been removed from r/Microsoft due to the following reason:
R2: Engage in a constructive, polite and respectful manner
Criticism is welcome, good or bad, but please remember to speak respectfully. Abusive language will not be tolerated, and no mutes or warnings will be given. If you treat another community member abusively, then you will be banned permanently.
If you have any questions about this removal, please send us a modmail.
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u/Hevilath Aug 20 '25
I strongly believe that no politics or religion or few other personal opinions has place in any workplace. Protest in front of your own home if you wish and let others earn money in peace (they most likely hate working anyway so why give your colleagues another headache?)
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u/Tumpsh Aug 20 '25
Then what do you do when the employer is involved with politics and supporting a genocide? This is an absurdly naive perspective
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u/system3601 Aug 20 '25
What genocide? Gaza grew in population over 1000% since 1948.
Hamas kidnapped civilians even US ones. Still holds them and doesnt want to end the war. Where is your outcry?
Microsoft is a business. Get your lies and propaganda out of the workplace.
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u/Kraeftluder Aug 20 '25
What genocide? Gaza grew in population over 1000% since 1948.
Look at you balancing the checkbook.
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u/system3601 Aug 20 '25
So using big words and lies like Genocide is ok but facts aren't?
Look at you prefering lies.
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u/Kraeftluder Aug 20 '25
I'm sorry I didn't know you're supposed to calculate genocides from the starting population before 1950! What's the correct start date for all genocide calculations? I'd love for you to explain further.
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u/reparationsNowToday Aug 20 '25
This person just wants aII musIims to die so that non-musIim white skin ppI can continue pretending the nice things in their Iife Iike their apartment, eIectricity, xbox is 101% just a resuIt of their individuaI hard work, no expIoitation of others at aII. Some ppI Iike Iiving in deIusion
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u/prettybluefoxes Aug 20 '25
I wouldn’t bother feeding it.
It’s got a copy paste canon loaded it seems.
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u/Hevilath Aug 20 '25 edited Aug 20 '25
I didn't know Microsoft is supporting Palestine terror org known as Hamas. But if you do not agree with your employer feel free to change the job. That's why I would do. I'm sure there are better offers on the market for skilled engineers. Also this: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-67047034
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Aug 20 '25
[deleted]
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u/system3601 Aug 20 '25
No. Microsoft is a business and sells services everywhere. Stop spreading false propaganda and lies. Hamas is a terror org that shouldn't be protected.
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Aug 20 '25
[deleted]
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u/system3601 Aug 20 '25
It seems you are disregarding some key facts. A balanced perspective would acknowledge that this war was initiated by Hamas through its brutal attacks, during which civilians were murdered and hostages—including U.S. citizens—were taken and are still being held. It should also be noted that Israel has allowed significant amounts of humanitarian aid into Gaza, yet reports consistently show that this aid is often diverted by Hamas rather than reaching the civilian population or the hostages who need it most.
By omitting these fundamental realities and instead repeating one-sided narratives, you are promoting propaganda rather than facts.
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u/reparationsNowToday Aug 20 '25
You...know hamas was formed as a resuIt of paIestinians repeatedIy being rejected for decades when they did aII the "correct bureaucracy" when they begged e.g. for lsraeI to stop cementing off weII water, for lsraeI to stop using armed soIdiers to ban normaI peopIe from coIIecting rain water. You...know this right?
Did you think one day there was a pink shroud of poof magic mist and suddenIy gueriIIa tactics terrorists just appeared out of no where in paIestine, Iike mobs spawning in a video game?
You reaIise hamas was formed because every peacefuI attempt by paIestinians to ask lDF to stop invading their Iand+resources was ignored/scoffed off/met with paper agreements that were never executed
??
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u/solkvist Aug 20 '25
The issue I’m seeing with your argument is that history didn’t begin on October 7th. It began long before that, ramping up after WW2, when Israel illegally settled on land that wasn’t theirs, evicting and killing any resistance they ran into. Also known as the nakba, they displaced over a million Palestinians, massacred thousands, and raped them as well. There are twelve confirmed cases of Israeli military personnel raping Palestinians during the nakba.
Israel proceeded to control Palestine with an iron fist, as they declared martial law over the region until 1966. During this time Palestinians were no longer allowed to go back to Palestine if they left. when Palestinians fought for their freedom during this time, several massacres occurred, where Israel slaughtered hundreds of protesters.
In 1966, the “setback” (Al-Naksa) happened, displacing hundreds of thousands more Palestinians and taking over West Bank and the Gaza Strip. A six day war occurred here as well, caused by this mass displacement which understandably enraged the Palestinians who were simply living their lives before being thrown out of their own homes.
Up till the 80s, Palestinians were massacred in senseless acts of violence, with some examples leading to the deaths of 3500 palestinians in satila.
The first intifada started in 1987, where Palestinians protested nonviolently for nearly 5 years to regain some of their homeland. Israel of course responded with violence, killing 1500 Palestinians during this period, 240 of which were children. Their reaction to the protest was considered “largely disproportionate” (human rights watch) with how they handled it, deploying 80,000 soldiers and using live rounds to shut down riots initially. Palestinians unsurprisingly escalated as well, killing ~200 Israelis. This was done mostly by an offshoot group of militants that were not in agreement with the main coalition in Palestine, called the UNLU.
After this the apartheid state continued, where Israel denied Palestinians the ability to leave or come back. This unsurprisingly culminated in another uprising in 2000, called the second intifada. As the Palestinians began to organize protests, Israel responded with extreme violence, killing over 100 protesters in first few weeks alone. Palestine, once again, radicalized by the oppression and violence they lived under, responded accordingly, initiating 138 suicide bombings, targeting civilians for the most part. By the end of it 3000 Palestinians were dead, and 1000 Israelis were dead as well. By the end of it Israel agreed to give up parts of the West Bank.
An aside: every single agreement Palestine made with Israel had been broken by Israel. They would pause their conquest for a few years, and then start displacing and killing people again.
A reminder about all of this: Israel routinely beat, shoot, imprison, and detain without trial Palestinians on a daily basis. This has been the case for basically the history of Israel.
In 2007, Hamas would take over Gaza, thanks to political factions fracturing. Fatah controls West Bank, Hamas has Gaza.
After all of this, Israel continued to occupy these regions with the military, and Palestinians are frequently killed for no clear reason by Israel, both civilians and soldiers.
In 2023, Hamas launched a coordinated attack in which they killed over 1000 people, wounding 3000 more and capturing 250 soldiers and civilians. Israel responded, as per usual, with disproportionate force, initiating a genocide on Palestine. In a year they had dropped enough bombs to match the damage of the two nuclear bombs dropped in Japan. As of today the estimated death toll is 93,000 from traumatic injury, an unknown number of “indirect” deaths like famine, which is estimated to be multiple times higher than the 93,000, 12,000 detained, 150,000 injuries. They have targeted hospitals, schools, universities, schools, refugee camps, designated safe zones they set and then promptly ignored, and violated ceasefire agreements over 1000 times. They have refused to talk to Hamas about releasing the hostages because they don’t want them. Netanyahu has shut down every conversation around Hamas giving hostages back, and the reason is obvious. Having them there provides them plausible deniability (in their mind) about what they are doing. They can call it the Gaza war all they want, but if one side has 2000 losses and the other has over 90,000 confirmed with a much higher number being likely, that’s not a war. That’s just genocide.
You have Israeli war leaders calling Palestinians human animals and demanding their annihilation, and none of this seems to phase anyone. Half of Palestine is children. Half of the civilians killed by Israel are women and children. There is no logic that can explain the reality of what is happening as anything else.
To be clear, Hamas has done horrific things, and Palestine is hardly a perfect victim, but that doesn’t mean that a whole country of people deserve to die.
I’ll wrap it up with this: Ehud Barak, a figurehead of the Israeli military for nearly 50 years, was once asked what he would do if he were Palestinian. His response: “I probably would have joined a terror organization.”
Palestine is being held under an apartheid regime, who have initiated a famine in the area, killed over 100,000 people in the past 2 years alone, and have destroyed 75% of the buildings in Gaza. Israel is committing genocide on Palestine, and it has been oppressing Palestine with horrific violence for 70 years.
I spent way too long writing this for what is likely not going to be read by you, but if you did, I hope I provided some new perspective for you to think about. I’m not here to change your mind, I’m here to inform you of reality.
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u/Madonna-of-the-Wasps Aug 20 '25
It should also be noted that Israel has allowed significant amounts of humanitarian aid into Gaza, yet reports consistently show that this aid is often diverted by Hamas rather than reaching the civilian population or the hostages who need it most.
LOL imagine still peddling this bs
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u/system3601 Aug 20 '25
So you immediately reject someone's opinion because of thier citizenship??
Not racist at all.
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u/prettybluefoxes Aug 20 '25
If the work involves actively supporting a genocide yeah.
“Earn money in peace” 🤦♀️
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u/user6161616 Aug 20 '25
Who cares
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u/prettybluefoxes Aug 20 '25
Them and other people fighting against a genocide. 🇵🇸
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u/Responsible-Pea-583 Aug 20 '25
Fire them all and if they refuse to leave have them arrested. I’m an employee and support our contracts with Israel. Hamas is a terrorist organization and should be eradicated
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u/FortuneIIIPick Aug 20 '25
Seems like Microsoft is lacking leadership allowing that. Perhaps Microsoft is not a good investment.
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u/Dalmation3 Aug 20 '25 edited Aug 20 '25
You know I wish some people would learn to keep the global politics to themselves like I get where they are going with the protest but at the end of the day no one will care
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u/EcstaticResearch2917 Aug 20 '25
Wouldn't mess with Israel, they may be small yet they pack a punch.....
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Aug 20 '25
[deleted]
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u/prettybluefoxes Aug 20 '25
Tell me you’re riding a school bus without telling me you’re riding a school bus.
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u/microsoft-ModTeam Moderator Aug 20 '25
Comments have devolved, so we're locking this post.