Microsoft and Amazon have come under fire from activist tech workers who have demanded that they stop supplying technology to oil and gas companies because of the polluting nature of fossil-fuel extraction. Microsoft in 2017 announced a multi-year deal to sell cloud services to U.S. energy giant Chevron Corp .
Microsoft Workers 4 Good, which says it represents Microsoft employees aiming to hold the company to its stated values, lauded the climate plan but said "this goal is incompatible with contracts that aim to increase oil extraction, a process which we know is not sustainable."
In a blog post, Microsoft on Thursday reiterated its commitment to working with oil and gas providers, saying it is "imperative that we enable energy companies to transition" to renewable energy and carbon-capture technologies.
Bill Weihl, former director of sustainability at Facebook Inc, said Microsoft does not take into account that its work with oil companies could outweigh the gains of measures Microsoft takes on its own carbon reduction.
"There is good stuff here," Weihl said. "But the topline message, that this is urgent, is not matched by what they're focusing on." (1 euro = $1.11)
