Brian Eno, the English musician and artist who composed the iconic startup sound for Windows 95, has publicly called out Microsoft for its business relationship with the Israeli Ministry of Defense amid the ongoing war in Gaza. In an open letter titled “Not in My Name” posted to Instagram, Eno expressed dismay that the company he once associated with a promising technological future is now providing cloud and AI services to the Israeli military, which he and human rights organizations accuse of committing genocide and war crimes. He urged Microsoft to suspend all services that contribute to violations of international law and announced he would donate his original fee for the Windows 95 chime to Gaza victims.
This matters because it highlights the growing intersection of art, technology, and political activism, with a prominent cultural figure leveraging his iconic work to challenge a major corporation’s complicity in armed conflict. Eno’s protest also underscores the ethical responsibilities of tech companies whose products are used in military operations, and it amplifies the broader debate about corporate accountability in human rights crises. The story resonates in the art world as an example of an artist using their platform and creative legacy to engage with urgent geopolitical issues.