Tech company employees call for greater digital lockdown from Ukraine to Russia

Tech company employees call for increased digital lockdown from Ukraine to Russia

By Paresh Dave and Jeffrey Dastin

OAKLAND, Calif. (Reuters) – Microsoft President Brad Smith wrote to Ukraine’s leader this month saying that despite Kiev’s calls to cut all ties with Russia, the company would continue to do business in the country with unsanctioned customers. , including schools and hospitals.

Smith told President Volodymyr Zelenskiy that Microsoft is “conscious of the moral responsibility” to protect civilians. However, he said the company is in discussions with the US, UK and European Union governments whether to “discontinue any ongoing services and support” in Russia and move “in line with its sanctions and other economic objectives”.

Small groups of employees at Microsoft, SAP and IBM have called for a full withdrawal from Russia after the Ukraine invasion, according to comments seen by Reuters on internal discussion forums and interviews with 18 employees familiar with the companies, on condition of anonymity.

Officials urged companies to increase economic pressure on Moscow. They want them to suspend all business in Russia, including for software customers they can use to track sales, supply chains and the workforce.

Asked about the criticism, IBM said it stopped working with Russian companies anywhere in the world.

SAP said it is complying with the government’s actions and even going beyond them, and that it “will receive new sanctions currently under discussion”.

For now, employees at these companies in Russia are being paid and accessing workplace tools, colleagues said.

Asked about workers’ demands on tech companies to leave Russia, a Kremlin spokesman said that “some companies are leaving, others are staying. New ones will come in their place.”

Ukraine’s Deputy Prime Minister Mykhailo Fedorov, one of the leading digital lockdown activists, said Russia was already feeling the impact of some tech companies leaving, but advocated a complete exit. “We will keep trying until these companies make the decision to leave Russia,” he said.

Several Microsoft employees in internal chat tools also demanded that the company leave Russia, with some even telling senior management that they would resign, one official said. Microsoft declined to comment.

SAP also told Reuters that because some customers have its software installed on their machines, they can continue to use it regardless of the company’s decision not to provide support.