*50 employees from Microsoft Corp. called on the company to back down from a deal with the US military to provide it with enhanced reality technology for military use.
The staff spoke specifically about the need not to use the headphone (smart glasses) Hololens HoloLens, "to help people kill."
Microsoft, the US technology giant, announced in November a $ 479 million deal to provide the US military with enhanced reality technology by developing a platform that would include soldiers using about 100,000 smartphones.
"We always appreciate the views of the staff and we have many ways to listen to their demands," a Microsoft spokesman commented on employees' demands to stop the deal.
The BBC received a message about the deal addressed to Microsoft's management, and was supported by staff from multiple departments of the company.
"Microsoft must stop any activities that help the US military strengthen its capabilities to engage in violence and cause damage," the letter said.
"We have not been working here to develop weapons, and we want to know how to use what we produce."
The Hololens Smart Glasses, first introduced in March 2016, allow you to see virtual digital images that are integrated with the real world. Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella is expected to announce the new version of the Hololins 2 glasses at a conference in Barcelona, Spain, on Sunday, just before the opening of the World Mobile Trade Show.
The staff spoke specifically about the need not to use the headphone (smart glasses) Hololens HoloLens, "to help people kill."
Microsoft, the US technology giant, announced in November a $ 479 million deal to provide the US military with enhanced reality technology by developing a platform that would include soldiers using about 100,000 smartphones.
"We always appreciate the views of the staff and we have many ways to listen to their demands," a Microsoft spokesman commented on employees' demands to stop the deal.
The BBC received a message about the deal addressed to Microsoft's management, and was supported by staff from multiple departments of the company.
"Microsoft must stop any activities that help the US military strengthen its capabilities to engage in violence and cause damage," the letter said.
"We have not been working here to develop weapons, and we want to know how to use what we produce."
The Hololens Smart Glasses, first introduced in March 2016, allow you to see virtual digital images that are integrated with the real world. Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella is expected to announce the new version of the Hololins 2 glasses at a conference in Barcelona, Spain, on Sunday, just before the opening of the World Mobile Trade Show.