I thought it was too good to be true… and it was. Earlier last week the BBC reported that Microsoft was evaluating its policy on business in China and other non-democratic countries. Imagine that - if the world’s biggest software company told China where to stick it? That would send a huge message, right?
Sadly it was not meant to be and instead Microsoft have spun the situation slightly by suggesting that their tools and services “can not only promote greater communication, but can also help to foster economic opportunity and social collaboration“.
I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised; Microsoft wouldn’t say goodbye to that much money and China is growing at such an alarming rate that it would be a huge amount of money. I suppose it wouldn’t really make much difference to the rest of the world either. People are going to buy their products anyway, due to lock-in and lack of good competition, so Microsoft doesn’t need to try to win over customers. It’s also fair to say that Microsoft shouldn’t be responsible for trying to change other countries - that’s the job of George Bush’s administration.