Tesla CEO Elon Musk publicly tagged Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, demanding clarity over viral screenshots allegedly showing Blizzard employees mocking the late Charlie Kirk.
The posts, attributed to staffers at Blizzard—a Microsoft-owned gaming company—spread online, angering Kirk’s supporters who are still grieving the conservative commentator’s death at age 31. A mega-thread compiling the screenshots quickly went viral on X.
Musk jumped into the conversation, asking: “What’s going on here?”
He tagged Nadella directly in a late-night post, adding: “These are Microsoft employees.”
What’s going on here, @satyanadella? https://t.co/acO5poJMm8
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) September 12, 2025
Microsoft Responds to Controversy
Barely an hour later, at 3:45 AM IST, Microsoft issued its first statement addressing the negative remarks.
We’re aware of the views expressed by a small subset of our employees regarding recent events. We take matters like this very seriously and we are currently reviewing each individual situation. Comments celebrating violence against anyone are unacceptable and do not align with…
— Microsoft (@Microsoft) September 12, 2025
In an X post shared on Friday, the company stressed it was taking the situation “very seriously”: “We’re aware of the views expressed by a small subset of our employees regarding recent events. We take matters like this very seriously and we are currently reviewing each individual situation.”
Microsoft also highlighted its stance against harmful behavior: “Comments celebrating violence against anyone are unacceptable and do not align with our values.”
Remembering Charlie Kirk
Charlie Kirk rose from a teenage conservative campus activist to a prominent podcaster and ally of US President Donald Trump. He was shot and killed at Utah Valley University on Wednesday, sparking widespread outrage and grief.
The incident, combined with online mockery from a section of Blizzard staff, prompted one of Musk’s rare public interventions regarding employee conduct at a major corporation.
