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Microsoft is tied to hundreds of millions of dollars in foreign bribes

theverge.com

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Re: Microsoft is tied to hundreds of millions of dollars in foreign bribes

#21

Post by thathndude »

lemoncookiechip wrote: post #6

> "What is a shock: This time around, the SEC and DOJ have both declined to investigate Microsoft over the same types of bribes in the Middle East and Africa. They acknowledged my evidence (which I submitted three times) yet did not take up the case, claiming that the current pandemic has prevented them from gathering more evidence from abroad—even though I have already provided documentation that I believe shows Mic…

To the extent the article gets anything wrong, it's the focus on just Microsoft. Microsoft is not some lone, bad actor here.

Re: Microsoft is tied to hundreds of millions of dollars in foreign bribes

#22

Post by [deleted] »

legalcorrection wrote: post #19

The Foreign Corrupt Practices Act should be repealed and American companies should be allowed to compete on equal footing with their foreign competitors. No other country, even if it technically has an FCPA-like law on the books, actually enforces it to the extent the US does. It means that everyone is free to openly participate in bribery to win foreign markets, markets where bribery is just how business is done, wh…

[deleted]

Re: Microsoft is tied to hundreds of millions of dollars in foreign bribes

#23

Post by soperj »

thathndude wrote: post #21
lemoncookiechip wrote: post #6

> "What is a shock: This time around, the SEC and DOJ have both declined to investigate Microsoft over the same types of bribes in the Middle East and Africa. They acknowledged my evidence (which I submitted three times) yet did not take up the case, claiming that the current pandemic has prevented them from gathering more evidence from abroad—even though I have already provided documentation that I believe shows Mic…

To the extent the article gets anything wrong, it's the focus on just Microsoft. Microsoft is not some lone, bad actor here.

Who cares? Start with the one they have evidence on and move on to the next one.

Re: Microsoft is tied to hundreds of millions of dollars in foreign bribes

#24

Post by hef19898 »

VyseofArcadia wrote: post #3

Former Microsoftie here. After all the business ethics training videos I had to sit through, I am infuriated by this.

Those annual trainings are there to show compliance. This prevents pro active investigations by authorities into business conduct. Without those corporations are free to engage in all kinda of shady business behaviour. And when something turns sideways, the offending employees passed the training, so the company is shielded, to an extend.

Re: Microsoft is tied to hundreds of millions of dollars in foreign bribes

#25

Post by hulitu »

Qem wrote: post #10

My work involves a public sector organization in Brazil. In the last years there was a big push towards microsoft products at my workplace, to a point where emails with announcements from corporate IT sometimes looks and sounds like spam pushing MS products. Now I'm left wondering if that's related to bribes here too, or if it's just bad judgement/taste from IT leadership.

It is the same also in some automotive company.

Re: Microsoft is tied to hundreds of millions of dollars in foreign bribes

#26

Post by goodpoint »

Qem wrote: post #10

My work involves a public sector organization in Brazil. In the last years there was a big push towards microsoft products at my workplace, to a point where emails with announcements from corporate IT sometimes looks and sounds like spam pushing MS products. Now I'm left wondering if that's related to bribes here too, or if it's just bad judgement/taste from IT leadership.

It's well known that Microsoft has been giving bribes even to small companies for many decades.

The entity of the bribes from MS are above average.

Re: Microsoft is tied to hundreds of millions of dollars in foreign bribes

#27

Post by belter »

VyseofArcadia wrote: post #3

Former Microsoftie here. After all the business ethics training videos I had to sit through, I am infuriated by this.

In almost every country with a dictator and human right abuses, you will find a constitution guarantying civil rights and liberties of the individual...

[1] - "The Constitution of the Russian Federation"

Article 17

1. In the Russian Federation recognition and guarantees shall be provided for the rights and freedoms of man and citizen according to the universally recognized principles and norms of international law and according to the present Constitution.

2. Fundamental human rights and freedoms are inalienable and shall be enjoyed by everyone since the day of birth.

3. The exercise of the rights and freedoms of man and citizen shall not violate the rights and freedoms of other people.

Article 18

The rights and freedoms of man and citizen shall be directly operative. They determine the essence, meaning and implementation of laws, the activities of the legislative and executive authorities, local self-government and shall be ensured by the administration of justice.

Article 19

1. All people shall be equal before the law and court.

2. The State shall guarantee the equality of rights and freedoms of man and citizen, regardless of sex, race, nationality, language, origin, property and official status, place of residence, religion, convictions, membership of public associations, and also of other circumstances. All forms of limitations of human rights on social, racial, national, linguistic or religious grounds shall be banned.

3. Man and woman shall enjoy equal rights and freedoms and have equal possibilities to exercise them.

and so on...

[1] http://www.constitution.ru/en/10003000-03.htm

Re: Microsoft is tied to hundreds of millions of dollars in foreign bribes

#28

Post by nopenopenopeno »

thathndude wrote: post #21
lemoncookiechip wrote: post #6

> "What is a shock: This time around, the SEC and DOJ have both declined to investigate Microsoft over the same types of bribes in the Middle East and Africa. They acknowledged my evidence (which I submitted three times) yet did not take up the case, claiming that the current pandemic has prevented them from gathering more evidence from abroad—even though I have already provided documentation that I believe shows Mic…

To the extent the article gets anything wrong, it's the focus on just Microsoft. Microsoft is not some lone, bad actor here.

How would that qualify as getting something wrong?

Re: Microsoft is tied to hundreds of millions of dollars in foreign bribes

#29

Post by dukoid »

Dracophoenix wrote: post #11

I reckon Microsoft and others haven't learned from Lockheed in the 70s. It'll only be a matter of time before we hear about other charges regarding Apple and Google

Every generation has to re-learn this lesson? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lockheed_bribery_scandals

Re: Microsoft is tied to hundreds of millions of dollars in foreign bribes

#30

Post by nashashmi »

There is a lot of supposition from the article based on a single source that these payments were bribes. These kinds of articles are really calling wolf when there are none. And potentially downplay instances when actual wolves are spotted. This is a hit piece from a potential competitor trying to do business in the same market.

Going to add further the article has way too much fluff. It’s a play on reader psychology to turn them against Microsoft.

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