Microsoft Holding 'Screw Google' Meetings In DC 331
Runaway1956 writes "Microsoft's chief Washington lobbyist has been convening regular meetings, attended by the company's outside consultants, that have become known by some beltway insiders as 'screw Google' meetings, DailyFinance has learned. The meetings are part of an ongoing campaign by Microsoft, other Google opponents, and hired third parties to discredit the Web search leader, according to multiple sources with knowledge of the matter. 'Microsoft is at the center of a group of companies who see Google as a threat to them in some combination of business and policy,' said a source who requested anonymity to avoid retribution. 'The effort is designed to make Google look like the big high-tech bad guy here.'"
Been there, done that. (Score:5, Interesting)
I've been holding some pretty good 'screw Microsoft' meetings for years in the toilet.
Nothing new here...
Joking aside; a little farther and these meetings could been seen as illegal collusion.
Who else does MS usually have on board? (Score:5, Interesting)
Anyone else reading "other third parties" as "politicians"?
Best advertisment ever. (Score:5, Interesting)
All these competitors must be very desperate if they organize themselves instead of competing with one another. And I don't mean desperate as in "making less profit" or even "running at a loss", I mean desperate as in "about to be finished in the near future".
This is the best advertisement for Google I can imagine. It's basically Microsoft and there other competitors advising you to put your money on Google.
"Competition"? We need a new word. (Score:5, Interesting)
In a competition, the playing field is level and the one who works the best or the hardest or the most efficient wins.
We need a new word for the kinds of "competitive behavior" we see where the focus isn't about making better stuff or providing better services, but is instead focused on bringing down the people around you. In competitive sports, there are rules against such behavior. We can't have ice skaters bashing in the knees of other ice skaters now can we?
Microsoft is very easy to criticize because they are very well focused on bringing the competition down instead of working to make themselves more competitive. They need to have their language license revoked when their describe their behavior as "competitive" and "innovative." The word "bully" comes to mind, but I fear it is too simplistic and doesn't adequately describe the depth of planning and focus demonstrated. Whatever the word, it needs to convey the abandonment of fair play principles of competition and the selfish and callous disregard for others in the damage they cause. Anyone know of a word that describes this sort of behavior? Perhaps a few from psychology text books might well fit in here somewhere.
Re:Been there, done that. (Score:3, Interesting)
Only if you ignore that pesky First Amendment [wikipedia.org] in the Constitution.
Re:Bing in Chinese means "disease" (Score:3, Interesting)
Indeed, but there's a difference between "some random language somewhere" and "the national language of the world's most populous nation".
Nobody's too worried about Basque, Ainu, or Pitjantjatjara. But you can reasonably expect companies at least to avoid negative meanings in Chinese, Spanish, English, and Arabic, if they want to sell a product all over the world.
Re:Best advertisment ever. (Score:5, Interesting)
I suspect that their stock hasn't tanked because Wall Street has faith that their core businesses are such a huge cash cow that they will soon recover their former glory. I have my doubts though, I think the shine is gone and a lot more people have now come to see MS as a blunderer, like GM.
Re:Actually, I'm kinda getting nostalgic ;) (Score:1, Interesting)
This is not going to help you and me, aside to remind Microsoft that they are out of touch, and once again, not leading us anywhere. While I dont completely forgive them for wanting to make a buck they are not the innovators, and hardly masters of execution at all. They just have protected inertia. Maybe its time to say, "Thanks Microsoft, but no thanks" as a society and move on to greener pastures. JWest
Re:Actually, I'm kinda getting nostalgic ;) (Score:3, Interesting)
I can do it on my Dual 2 GHz 64 bit athlon with a flash player 10 beta for x64. However, my Acer Aspire One D250 lacks the horsepower... but did it fine in Windows XP, with which it shipped. Flash games which were pretty peppy on this system are actually unplayable on my dual 2 GHz system. If you want flash performance (heh heh) then Linux is a gigantic failure.
Don't get me wrong, I am running Ubuntu Jaunty on my desktop system, and Jolicloud Jaunty on both of my two netbooks. I am even working (occasionally) on getting Angstrom onto my DT Research DT366. But there are serious problems with recommending Linux to the average user. Once I ascertain that all they want is a bunch of websurfing, I direct most people to purchase a ~$300 netbook (a "big" one) running Windows XP, and Firefox+ABP. It covers the needs of most users at the minimum expenditure of cash, both now and in the future. Another $70 will get you an 8x DVD-RW off the shelf, if you need an optical drive; $350 will get you a system with a 720p display. But when websites which were okay on my little Aspire are nearly or literally unusable on my Dual Athlon 64, something is rotten.
P.S. 64 bit Windows is a sad joke anyway; nobody supports it well, including Microsoft.
Re:pathetic (Score:4, Interesting)
After a trip to Brazil, RedHat's Tiemann was told that the Foundation requires that MS have "cabinet level access" to the government and that MS products be used in any projects the Foundation is involved. If there is a shred of truth to this whatsoever than I cannot regard the actions of the Foundation as true charity. Rather it is the most dishonorable sort of influence peddling.
Re:pathetic (Score:2, Interesting)
I don't notice that, actually. I'm not in a position to know what high level strategy meetings Google holds and with who so just because I'm not privy to them, doesn't mean I assume they can't be happening (or would be shocked if I found out that they were). After all, given that Google is clearly not run by idiots, then it's implausible to think that they don't have meetings to plan how they'll take profit away from Microsoft. And if they did have such meetings, and somebody somewhere decided to call it a "screw Microsoft" meeting, then how would that be different to what we're seeing now, except that the actors would be different. Google throws plenty of money around in Washington, hiring former senators, lobbying firms and sons of politicians. What do you think that money goes toward? It's not buying office supplies, it's buying the "friendships" of people. There's a word for that, and the word smells as bad whether its Google or Microsoft footing the bill.