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In an open letter, Brian Eno has spoken sharply against Microsoft’s connections to the Israeli military. In the post on Instagram, the British musician and producer announced that his fee for the composition of the well -known start sound of Windows 95 to donate to aid organizations for Palestine. At the same time, he asked the tech giants to stop all services that contribute to the support of violating international law.
To understand: Eno composed the well-known seven second start signal for the Windows 95 operating system on behalf of Microsoft in the mid-1990s. And that is exactly what he goes into this in his official letter. For the project, he submitted around 80 proposals to the company, from which the famous tone was finally selected. Today he would look at the company with horror, with which he once worked.
Brian Eno: Microsoft is involved in “Machinery of oppression and war”
Eno wrote in his open letter: “Millions – possibly billions of people – have heard this short starting sound since then – a symbol of access to a promising technological future. I was happy to accept the project as a creative challenge and appreciated the exchange with my contacts at Microsoft. I would never have believed that one day the same company could be involved in the machine of oppression and war.”
Specifically, ENO criticized the latest disclosures on Microsoft’s cooperation with the Israeli military. In a blog entry dated May 15, 2025, the company confirmed that the Israeli Ministry of Defense would provide software, cloud services via Azure and AI applications, including voice translation. Microsoft emphasized that it “has no insight on how customers use our software on their own servers or other devices.”
Eno: “Anyone who builds systems that enable war crimes becomes the accomplice”
This is not sufficient for ENO. He has accused the Group compliance: “These ‘services’ support a regime that is described by leading international lawyers, human rights organizations, UN experts and a growing number of international governments as international murderous,” said Eno. “Cooperation between Microsoft and the Israeli government and the army is no secret. It includes that Microsoft software is used in deadly technologies-with cynical names such as ‘Where’s Daddy?’, A target system to place Palestinians to kill them in their houses.”
ENO emphasized that the provision of such technologies is not a neutral business decision: “The sale and enabling of advanced AI and cloud services to a government that systematically prescribes ethnic cleansing as ‘business as usual’ is simple.
Eno’s demand for ethical responsibility
Brian Eno has therefore asked Microsoft to take responsibility: “We live in a time when corporations like Microsoft often have more power than governments. I am convinced that such power goes hand in hand with absolute ethical responsibility. I therefore call Microsoft to hire all the services that support operations that violate international laws.”
Eno showed solidarity with employees of Microsoft, who were critical of the company’s Israel cooperation internally. These would have done “something really disruptive” by not silent. “My new starting sound is this: Solidarity is with the brave Microsoft employees who are not silent. He added: “If a sound can signal a real change, it should be.” This “starting sound” is metaphorical – it is not about a new tone, but about a new attitude.
At the end of his letter, Eno announced that he wanted to donate his fee for the Windows 95 sound of organizations to provide humanitarian aid in Palestine. So far, the comments under the post have mostly been approved and respectful. Many praised Brian Eno for his clear attitude, as can be read in this comment: “Respect for you that you show real integrity.” A former Microsoft dealer also thanked via a comment column: “From a fired Microsoft employee: Thank you.”