Microsoft CEO Defends HoloLens Pentagon Deal
Satya Nadella, CEO of Microsoft is taking on the defensive following the outcry of his employees concerning the supply of augmented reality headsets to the Pentagon.
Over the weekend, an open letter now signed by over 200 Microsoft employees, called on the President and CEO to terminate the multi-million-dollar deal production and supply of the prototype HoloLens to the US Military. This, they had described, was barbaric and would alienate the Pentagon from horrors of war and the reality that came with bloodshed.
But in an interview with CNN Business at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, after his presentation revealing the second-generation HoloLens, Nadella shelved the criticisms aside.
He stated that the company had made a principled decision not to withhold technology from the forces that protect the freedom Americans so gloriously enjoyed. He also revealed that the company was very transparent about the decision to work for the military and would continue to have discuss with employees about it.
November last year saw Microsoft beating other competitors to secure a deal with the Defense Department to support its Integrated Visual Augmentation System (IVAS).
Similarly, Microsoft President Brad Smith had always given a nod of approval towards supporting the US Military. He had made it known he believed in the strong defense of the United States, and he was willing to equip the forces with the nation’s best technology. He announced that employees who were reluctant to work on a particular project could move on to work on another.
Last year, Microsoft had faced backlash when some group of workers had tendered an open letter, calling out the company to end their involvement with the US’ Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). But the executives ignored their request and have continued to work with the government.
