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[Kokoloko85]

 

[Kokoloko85]

Not the first time they are accused or investigated

https://www.reuters.com/article/bus...settle-us-anti-bribery-charges-idUSKCN1UH1PA/

https://www.reuters.com/article/bus...bery-law-accepts-criminal-fine-idUSL2N24N0HR/

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-...robe-over-sales-in-hungary-wsj-idUSKCN1L82I1/

Microsoft is tied to hundreds of millions of dollars in foreign bribes, whistleblower alleges

“I don’t want you to be a blocker,” his manager told him.

www.theverge.com

Microsoft accused of spending hundreds of millions on bribes to win business deals

Whistleblower alleges culture of corruption in Middle East and Africa

www.datacenterdynamics.com

Did Microsoft bribe foreign governments for software deals?​

The tech giant is under investigation for allegedly giving kickbacks to overseas officials

theweek.com

Commitment to Anti-Corruption and Anti-Bribery | Microsoft Legal

Learn about our commitment to anti-corruption and anti-bribery. Microsoft runs on trust and does not tolerate violations of our standards and policies.

www.microsoft.com

 

[Coloress_Kafka]

Whats the point when they have less than 60 days before they get tossed???

 

[Saber]

Good, I still think it was a terrible move to allow Microsoft to pick that amount of franchises. This gives waaay too much power to them, I was surprised by the speed that Brazil commision was in favor of it.

 

[LectureMaster]

My man Musk has sent the hounds.

 

[UniformDeliverance]

Okay? New president will be in power in less than two months. That’s not enough time for the FTC to complete an investigation before they are under new management.

What’s… the point of this?

 

[adamsapple]

Lina's last hail mary before January.

 

[diffusionx]

Okay? New president will be in power in less than two months. That’s not enough time for the FTC to complete an investigation before they are under new management.

What’s… the point of this?

Trump sued Google in 2020.

It is highly likely that he will continue these investigations.

 

[BlueLyria]

This will end up as a big bowl of nothing, MS has way too much money and is a huge sponsor of the US government in all sectors, including Military. Worst that can happen is a slap on the wrist

 

[UniformDeliverance]

Trump sued Google in 2020.

It is highly likely that he will continue these investigations.

If he does, then this it will be news. As it stands the current administration and current FTCs actions are just irrelevant.

This is a lame duck FTC starting a project that have no ability to finish.

 

[ap_puff]

My man Musk has sent the hounds.

Whats Musk got to do with it? Does he beef with MS?

 

[BennyBlanco]

Whats Musk got to do with it? Does he beef with MS?

He has beef with OpenAI

 

[LordOcidax]

FTC lawyers are incompetents.

 

[mitch1971]

Doesn't matter. Like all business underhand dealings, even if found guilty, the fine will be about 1% of the profits made from the venture. No wonder companies do these things when no one in particular gets punished or the fines are laughable.

 

[IntentionalPun]

Trump sued Google in 2020.

It is highly likely that he will continue these investigations.

Trump campaigned on not breaking up big tech companies.

Now does that actually matter? I dunno, but he's certainly signaled that this type of thing isn't what he wants.

 

[ap_puff]

He has beef with OpenAI

 

[intbal]

As usual, USG goin after the wrong villain.

 

[Topher]

Long overdue

 

[Loomy]

Whats the point when they have less than 60 days before they get tossed???

You do your job until you don't have it anymore.

 

[PixelatedBeast]

Any time the FTC says something about Microsoft.

Neogaf:

 

[ChorizoPicozo]

This momentum can't get any better.

 

[Drell]

FTC lawyers failed hard against them for the ActiBlizz Buyout, so as much as I like Microsoft sometimes being challenged, I don't think anyone can do anything against one of the richest company of the world that is protected by the US governement.

 

[Topher]

This will end up as a big bowl of nothing, MS has way too much money and is a huge sponsor of the US government in all sectors, including Military.

If that is true and if you could remedy that situation, how would you?

 

[Chiggs]

Whats the point when they have less than 60 days before they get tossed???

To show everyone how tough they are! Political posturing is really all they have left.

Any time the FTC says something about Microsoft.

Neogaf:

Only because the head of the current FTC has all the booksmarts in the world, but can't put a decent case together to save her life.

And should I point out how Sony fans pretend to be composed legal observers who have nothing but the consumer's best interest at heart, just like Jim Ryan?

 

[ReBurn]

Trump campaigned on not breaking up big tech companies.

Now does that actually matter? I dunno, but he's certainly signaled that this type of thing isn't what he wants.

Trump also campaigned on deregulation and reducing bureaucracy. The FTC exists to regulate business activity. They're probably going to face budget cuts if DOGE actually gets to take action.

 

[Chiggs]

It is highly likely that he will continue these investigations.

Source: your ass.

 

[Badlucktroll]

I thought Trump didn't like these big tech monstrosities that are richer than whole countries

 

[Chiggs]

I thought Trump didn't like these big tech monstrosities that are richer than whole countries

Here's the reality (ignore the headline):

Donald Trump considers tough antitrust advocate for justice department unit

Gail Slater is ally of JD Vance who had also been in the running to chair the Federal Trade Commission

www.ft.com

Andrew Ferguson, the other Republican FTC commissioner, is also in the running to head the regulator. As a current official, he would not need to be approved again by the Senate.

....

Ferguson in a statement said that Trump’s “decisive victory is a mandate for change” and that the Biden administration’s “regulatory assault on American businesses is over”. He said he was looking “forward to being part of the most pro-innovation, pro-competition, pro-worker, and pro-consumer administration in the history of this country”.

 

[Iced Arcade]

I am not surprised and rightfully so (my opinion changed a lot on this over the last bit).


Khan is going to be kicked to the curb soon sooo this almost seems pointless

 

[{insert code here}]

Okay? New president will be in power in less than two months. That’s not enough time for the FTC to complete an investigation before they are under new management.

What’s… the point of this?

People there knowing Musk has beef with MS and maybe trying to keep their jobs?

 

[ap_puff]

Source: your ass.

Trump was already president once lol, it's not like he doesn't have a record. His FTC was very friendly to industry.

 

[ReBurn]

I am not surprised and rightfully so (my opinion changed a lot on this over the last bit).


Khan is going to be kicked to the curb soon sooo this almost seems pointless

What she's doing makes sense. If the incoming administration kills investigations into large corporations then whoever runs for office in 2028 gets to claim that the administration rolled over for the corpos and use it as campaign ammo.

 

[LectureMaster]

Whats Musk got to do with it? Does he beef with MS?

I was poking fun about the Avowed art director attacking him. But like folks pointed out, he does have beef with OpenAI.

 

[Topher]

Here's the reality (ignore the headline):

Donald Trump considers tough antitrust advocate for justice department unit

Gail Slater is ally of JD Vance who had also been in the running to chair the Federal Trade Commission

www.ft.com

Why is that the reality versus what is said in the rest of the article?

Donald Trump is considering naming an aggressive enforcer to lead the Department of Justice’s trustbusting team, as top Republicans set their sights on alleged anti-competitive conduct by Big Tech.

Gail Slater, a top aide to vice-president-elect JD Vance, is a leading contender to head the antitrust unit in Trump’s Department of Justice, said people familiar with the matter. She was earlier this month seen as a frontrunner to lead the Federal Trade Commission.

Slater’s nomination would signify the new administration’s support for a tough enforcement stance akin to that championed by Biden administration officials — including Jonathan Kanter, current head of the DoJ’s antitrust division, and Lina Khan, FTC chair — said top Wall Street dealmakers.

Tough antitrust enforcement, especially on Big Tech, has been embraced by a new generation of Make America Great Again populists spearheaded by Vance, who recently told the Financial Times that he wanted to see Google broken up.

Slater’s emergence as a leading contender for the DoJ antitrust unit comes amid a battle to secure Trump’s nomination to chair the FTC — and shape how aggressively it polices mergers and acquisitions.

Top contenders include Melissa Holyoak, according to people familiar with the matter. Holyoak, one of the agency’s two Republican commissioners, could favour more traditionally conservative antitrust policy which would tolerate consolidation so long as consumers are not harmed — a paradigm rejected by Khan and Kanter.

But Senator Mike Lee, a Trump ally and top Republican on a US Senate antitrust subcommittee, has also thrown his weight behind Mark Meador, a former enforcer at the DoJ and FTC. Wall Street and Big Tech executives fear he would maintain the Biden administration’s aggressive antitrust stance, which has featured high-profile legal challenges against Google, Apple, Meta and Amazon.

“The FTC desperately needs new leadership who will restore the agency to enforcement that is informed by legal precedent and economics and who will continue to hold Big Tech accountable for their anti-competitive conduct,” Lee told the Financial Times in a statement.

“I have faith that both Mark Meador and Melissa Holyoak would lead the agency in this direction,” added Lee, who next year will chair the upper chamber’s energy committee — a move that will raise his profile in the Republican party.

Andrew Ferguson, the other Republican FTC commissioner, is also in the running to head the regulator. As a current official, he would not need to be approved again by the Senate.
But his previous role as chief counsel to Mitch McConnell, the former Republican Senate leader whose relationship with president-elect Trump soured in recent years, might hurt his chances, said a person familiar with the matter.

Karoline Leavitt, a Trump transition spokesperson, said the president-elect’s “remaining decisions will continue to be announced by him when they are made”.
Ferguson in a statement said that Trump’s “decisive victory is a mandate for change” and that the Biden administration’s “regulatory assault on American businesses is over”. He said he was looking “forward to being part of the most pro-innovation, pro-competition, pro-worker, and pro-consumer administration in the history of this country”.
Holyoak and Meador declined to comment. Slater did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

People familiar with discussions said Slater remained in pole position to spearhead Trump’s antitrust activities.
“Given her position on the campaign and her relationship with JD Vance, I’m assuming that if she wants the DoJ [division] or chair of the FTC, that she would be well positioned to get it,” said one person.

An Oxford-educated lawyer who worked at the FTC for a decade, Slater was an adviser to Julie Brill, a former FTC commissioner appointed by former Democratic president Barack Obama.

 

[j0hnnix]

Oh man I hope it's not crusty white dudes involved.. that's MS weakness.

 

[FunkMiller]

Ah well, they did such a bang up job with the ABK acquisition. I'm sure this will be just as effectively handled.

 

[StereoVsn]

If that is true and if you could remedy that situation, how would you?

Personally, I would force them to cough up that AI company they "bought" on the sly and probably jettison their special relationship with OpenAI. Then force de-bundling of M365 and Azure special discounts, force de-bundling of Windows OS and Office 365.

Also, look at Azure costs to host other companies' DBs and OS' vs Microsoft's own. Probably further force Teams separation from O365 that EU started. Man, I could go on and on. Been knee deep in MS waters for almost three decades, lol.

If folks are talking about gaming, that's a whole different conversation and much less important. Also, as a separate note, I would also stop Musk and his vertical corporate empire he has built. And Google, and Meta, and hit big Pharma corpos, medical distributors and insurance companies for all kinds of their shenanigans. And there is a ton more. We are basically in the new Gilded Age now and someone needs to come in with a big stick.

Mind you, have to do above while keeping a very very careful eye on China and its state enterprises.

 

[ap_puff]

Why is that the reality versus what is said in the rest of the article?

Hmm i wonder if this is an attempt to 4d chess the Trump admin towards a more traditionally pro-business conservative pick.

 

[Topher]

Personally, I would force them to cough up that AI company they "bought" on the sly and probably jettison their special relationship with OpenAI. Then force de-bundling of M365 and Azure special discounts, force de-bundling of Windows OS and Office 365.

Also, look at Azure costs to host other companies' DBs and OS' vs Microsoft's own. Probably further force Teams separation from O365 that EU started. Man, I could go on and on. Been knee deep in MS waters for almost three decades, lol.

If folks are talking about gaming, that's a whole different conversation and much less important. Also, as a separate note, I would also stop Musk and his vertical corporate empire he has built. And Google, and Meta, and hit big Pharma corpos, medical distributors and insurance companies for all kinds of their shenanigans. And there is a ton more. We are basically in the new Gilded Age now and someone needs to come in with a big stick.

Mind you, have to do above while keeping a very very careful eye on China and its state enterprises.

Next FTC Chief....

 

[StereoVsn]

Hmm i wonder if this is an attempt to 4d chess the Trump admin towards a more traditionally pro-business conservative pick.

Trump picked a pro Union Republican for a Labor secretary. Trump 2.0 Admin with Vance is not necessarily anti-workers or Unions or pro giant tech corpos... except for Musk of course since he bought himself a golden ticket for $170mil. Cheap in retrospect!

 

[StereoVsn]

Next FTC Chief....

My God, if the current FTC head can't prosecute cases, I could only imagine the kind of shit I'd get into. "Who are we going to sue today?" bingo would be played at FTC every morning!

 

[ap_puff]

Trump picked a pro Union Republican for a Labor secretary. Trump 2.0 Admin with Vance is not necessarily anti-workers or Unions or pro giant tech corpos... except for Musk of course since he bought himself a golden ticket for $170mil. Cheap in retrospect!

We'll see I guess, his first term seemed like he just did whatever and surrounded himself with some wackjobs. Maybe he's coming in with a plan this time. I can only hope lol, we have 3 decades of increasingly shitty neoliberalism and neoconservatism cratering my optimism for the country

 

[StereoVsn]

We'll see I guess, his first term seemed like he just did whatever and surrounded himself with some wackjobs. Maybe he's coming in with a plan this time. I can only hope lol, we have 3 decades of increasingly shitty neoliberalism and neoconservatism cratering my optimism for the country

The wackjobs are there! Gabbard is the pick for "Director of National Intelligence"!!! I mean Tulsi freaking Gabbard! And Kennedy Jr. is nominated for Health! And lets not start talking about Defense pick...

But Labor is surprisingly normal, so is State and decent amount of others.

 

[ap_puff]

The wackjobs are there! Gabbard is the pick for "Director of National Intelligence"!!! I mean Tulsi freaking Gabbard! And Kennedy Jr. is nominated for Health! And lets not start talking about Defense pick...

But Labor is surprisingly normal, so is State and decent amount of others.

Gabbard is a weird one, around 2016 she seemed like a really interesting candidate that I would've liked to see run for Pres. But then she got like... The crazy ex vibes after getting run out od the dem party and started doing hardcore political heroin lol. And RFK... Man, just a weirdo, I sincerely hope it's a bit for the cameras.

 

[Topher]

My God, if the current FTC head can't prosecute cases, I could only imagine the kind of shit I'd get into. "Who are we going to sue today?" bingo would be played at FTC every morning!

FTC: "Who are we are going to sue today?"

StereoVsn : "Sony"

FTC: "Why?"

StereoVsn : "So there's this game called 'Bloodborne'....."

 

[BlueLyria]

If that is true and if you could remedy that situation, how would you?

I've heard during my classes on college, MS has multiple contracts with the US government, and they still update windows XP because the military uses it, so it's in the gov interest a strong MS.

Maybe by splitting their office suite and OS divisions, or even harsher divisions, but it's way past the time to split the tech giants and most likely will end up with the opposite effect than desired.

Also, harsher punishment for certain activities, as it stands, breaking contracts and laws return more than the fines you pay, specially for multinational business like MS.

 

[Fahdis]

Nothing a little bit of money to the side for the investigators can't fix... if ya'll know what I mean... ...

 

[MayauMiao]

I hope they check on MS forcing Recall feature on Windows,

 

[StereoVsn]

I've heard during my classes on college, MS has multiple contracts with the US government, and they still update windows XP because the military uses it, so it's in the gov interest a strong MS.

Maybe by splitting their office suite and OS divisions, or even harsher divisions, but it's way past the time to split the tech giants and most likely will end up with the opposite effect than desired.

Also, harsher punishment for certain activities, as it stands, breaking contracts and laws return more than the fines you pay, specially for multinational business like MS.

I doubt MS will be broken up Standard Oil style, but they and Google need to be slapped. That said, we do need strong US tech companies since China ain't going to break up their state industrials or tech companies controlled by CCP like Huawei.

And yeah, MS has huge presence in Gov, from OS to Office to Databases to Cloud and more.

On the other hand, Meta, X and all their ilk can just disappear and nothing of value would be lost.

 

[StereoVsn]

Gabbard is a weird one, around 2016 she seemed like a really interesting candidate that I would've liked to see run for Pres. But then she got like... The crazy ex vibes after getting run out od the dem party and started doing hardcore political heroin lol. And RFK... Man, just a weirdo, I sincerely hope it's a bit for the cameras.

JFK is unfortunately is nuts around many important health topics and he gets to go do whatever he wants on Department of Health. Gabbard just went off the wagon completely like you said. She was halfway reasonable in 2016.