Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella responds to Army HoloLens contract backlash

In a new interview with CNN Business, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella defended the visitor's $480 million contract with the U.S. Ground forces following employee backfire. The contract, which would supply the Army HoloLens devices for training and combat purposes, was the bailiwick of an open up alphabetic character last week, reportedly signed by at least 50 Microsoft employees, calling for the company to kill the contract over ethical concerns.

The contract in question is role of a plan through which the U.S. Ground forces is seeking to increment the "lethality by enhancing the ability to detect, decide and engage before the enemy" using augmented reality, and information technology could ultimately lead to the purchase of around 100,000 HoloLens devices.

In the interview with CNN Business, Nadella emphasized that Microsoft is committed to having a "continuous" dialogue with employees almost their concerns, but the contract was penned every bit office of a "principled conclusion" to not withold technologies from institutions that "protect the freedoms we enjoy." From Nadella:

Get-go of all, we welcome dialogue with our employees on a continuous basis. When this outset came upward, nosotros had the dialogue and nosotros deliberated and we fabricated a principled conclusion that we're not going to withhold technology from institutions that we accept elected in democracies to protect the freedoms we enjoy. Nosotros were very transparent about that decision and we'll proceed to have that dialogue.

Nadella went on to say that Microsoft is "clear-eyed" about the responsibility it bears apropos the unintended consequences of the technology information technology develops, citing the the work information technology has done with privacy and cybersecurity.

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella speaks with CNN Business organisation' Samuel Burke nigh Brexit, China and why the company remains committed to mixed reality. https://t.co/0mUUT9qPb6 flick.twitter.com/jBLBcLlvBJ
— CNN Business organization (@CNNBusiness) February 25, 2022

The letter of the alphabet penned by Microsoft employees chosen attention to the ethical concerns of using applied science developed by the visitor for lethal purposes. ""The awarding of HoloLens within the [Integrated Visual Augmentation System] is designed to assistance people kill," the letter stated. "It volition be deployed on the battleground, and works past turning warfare into a false 'video game,' further distancing soldiers from the grim stakes of war and the reality of bloodshed."

It's unclear how many employees have signed onto the letter thus far. For now, however, Microsoft seems clearly committed to going through with the contract. (Update: The Microsoft employees behind the alphabetic character say that, every bit of February 25, more than 250 employees have endorsed the letter.)

Nadella'southward comments came just a mean solar day later Microsoft appear the HoloLens 2, the long-awaited follow-up to the original headset.

HoloLens Role Deux

Microsoft HoloLens two

HoloLens, just better.

HoloLens ii takes everything that made the original great and turns it up to 11. With a new carbon fiber body, extra padding, heart tracking, and a wider field of view, the headset should have no problem finding success among developers and firstline workers.

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