FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 25, 2025
Media Contact
adl@crosscutstrategies.com
Strongly Contend That Proposal 9 Is a Politicized Campaign Targeting Israel, Not a Genuine Human Rights Initiative
NEW YORK, Nov. 25, 2025 … JLens, a Registered Investment Advisor affiliated with ADL (the Anti-Defamation League), welcomes the recommendation from Glass, Lewis & Co., LLC (“Glass Lewis”) that Microsoft Corporation (“Microsoft” or the “Company”) (NASDAQ: MSFT) shareholders vote AGAINST a shareholder resolution aligned with the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement.
Glass Lewis released their recommendations ahead of Microsoft’s annual shareholder meeting scheduled to be held on December 5, 2025, advising shareholders to vote AGAINST Proposal 9, which calls on the Company to publish a new conflict-specific human rights due diligence (“HRDD”) report.
While framed as a call for human rights due diligence, the proposal is clearly a single-country, single-conflict campaign aligned with the BDS movement, which is designed to pressure companies to disengage from doing business with and in Israel.
“We are pleased that Glass Lewis recommended that shareholders vote against Proposal 9, concluding that it is not in the best interests of Microsoft or its shareholders,” said Ari Hoffnung, Managing Director of JLens and Senior Advisor on Corporate Advocacy at ADL. “We believe Proposal 9 is a politically motivated, BDS-aligned initiative that seeks to apply discriminatory standards to Microsoft’s policies and practices and could expose the company and its shareholders to heightened financial, legal, and reputational risks.”
“At the same time, we are disappointed that Institutional Shareholder Services Inc. (“ISS”) did not recognize what this proposal is truly about and recommended shareholders support this problematic proposal,” Hoffnung said. “ In our opinion, ISS did not apply the same analytical standards to this proposal that it typically applies to other human rights matters. Validating a measure that appears rooted in political pressure, not shareholder concerns, risks shareholder value and lending credibility to a false narrative of ‘genocide’ and undermining Israel’s legitimacy.”
Connection to Activist Campaigns and Disruptive Conduct
Proposal 9’s underlying claims echo talking points from political activist groups that recently targeted Microsoft over its business ties with Israel. In August 2025, members of “No Azure for Apartheid” breached Building 34 on Microsoft’s Redmond campus — home to President Brad Smith’s office — staging a sit-in and accusing the Company of “human rights violations” and other politically charged misconduct.
Protesters hung banners demanding that Microsoft “cut ties with Israel,” “call for an end to the genocide,” and “pay reparations to Palestinians.” Seven individuals were arrested after roughly an hour. Smith later emphasized that while Microsoft respects freedom of expression, its campus is private property and must remain secure. He also noted that only two of the seven arrested individuals had ever been employed by the Company, underscoring the extent to which outside political activists—not Microsoft employees—are driving this campaign.
Taking Action
JLens has filed a Notice of Exempt Solicitation with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, formally documenting its opposition to the shareholder proposal.
ADL and JLens urge all Microsoft shareholders to vote AGAINST Proposal 9 at the Company’s upcoming annual meeting scheduled to be held on December 5, 2025.
About ADL
ADL is the leading anti-hate organization in the world. Founded in 1913, its timeless mission is “to stop the defamation of the Jewish people and to secure justice and fair treatment to all.” Today, ADL continues to fight all forms of antisemitism and bias, using innovation and partnerships to drive impact. A global leader in combating antisemitism, countering extremism and battling bigotry wherever and whenever it happens, ADL works to protect democracy and ensure a just and inclusive society for all. More at www.adl.org.
About JLens
Founded in 2012, JLens is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit and Registered Investment Advisor that empowers investors to align their capital with Jewish values and advocates for Jewish communal priorities in the corporate arena. JLens’s Jewish Investor Network is composed of 36 Jewish institutions, representing $12 billion in communal capital (as of 9/30/25). In 2022, JLens established an affiliation with ADL (Anti-Defamation League), the leading anti-hate organization in the world. More at www.jlensnetwork.org.
PLEASE NOTE: THIS IS NOT A PROXY SOLICITATION AND NO PROXY CARDS WILL BE ACCEPTED. The Anti-Defamation League and JLens are not asking for your proxy card and cannot accept your proxy card. Please DO NOT send us your proxy card.
