Microsoft stakeholders, who should have become so excited when they knew about the deal with Pentagon, is probably facing one of the biggest tensions. A huge number of Microsoft employees have opposed a deal that allows the army to use Microsoft HoloLens headsets for the military needs. The employees say that the deal is a misuse of the efforts of various designers and engineers and that they don’t want to support war.
In a letter that was sent to Satya Nadella, the Chief Executive Officer, and the President of Microsoft, it was said that the Microsoft employees do not want to support the move. According to this appeal, Microsoft will have to back down from a deal that is worth $479 Million. As a part of the program, the Pentagon will have purchased thousands of HoloLens Development kits and used for military purposes.
It was in November that Microsoft and the Pentagon agreed to create an Integrated Visual Augmentation System, which would be used by the military to “increase lethality by enhancing the ability to detect, decide and engage before the enemy.” It was clear from the explicit description that the device would be used for a number of attacks, thus supporting war.
Since then, Microsoft employees and other organizations have been speaking against the decision. It should be noted that, despite being announced in 2015, HoloLens is not yet available as a commercial project. As it happens, the army would be purchasing the development kits and customizing the augmentation system as per their requirements.
“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,” read the letter that was sent by the employee team.
