Microsoft did nothing political for a long time. The only lobbyist they employed was a single lobbyist who worked in Olympia. True Story.
This was about 1999, I think.
I was there when it happened, and remember where I was when the Clinton Justice Dept. announced it intended to break MS up into six companies.
What happened prior to that, I learned later, was a prominent D senator was dispatched to Gates in Redmond to explain the facts of life to companies the size and power of MSFT. This meeting ended badly, with Gates throwing the Senator out of his office, questioning after him about what the difference was between what this Senator was proposing and bribery.
Gates stepped down, voluntarily, after the Justice Dept. announcement, replaced by Ballmer, who essentially reversed the course of the company very much like Gates did before taking on Netscape.
They went from having no lobbying at all to having one of the most extensive and expensive lobbying operations on Earth. Since then, Ballmer has essentially done sweet f*ck all for the company, but he got all the credit for keeping the company together back then.
Clinton dropped the hammer so hard on MSFT that it literally changed Silicon Valley forever, and all entrepreneurship in the US forever. Now you wouldn’t be caught dead without a BOD with at least one prominent democrat donor or bundler on it. They have become corporate political officers, the way political officers had command level billets on Soviet ships and subs.
It ended up popping the tech bubble on Wall Street when Janet Reno lowered the boom on Microsoft.
The best money a corporation can spend is political donations and lobbyists. Look at what GE has saved in taxes versus their donations and lobbying budget on Capital Hill. Our oppressive government and corporate taxation has made bribing the government the single largest source of “revenue” for a large corporation.
Any surprise the big boys are the best at it?
Our tax code and political system is every bit as corrupt as the third world countries we ridicule. Instead of giving a wad of cash to a politician they donate large sums to politicians using the whole lobbying/advocacy industry they created. It’s all smiles.
Look at the green jobs - they gave pennies on the dollar to the Obama administration in return for billions from the taxpayers. We have created huge numbers of highly profitable advocacy groups where lots of insiders are employed making large salaries on both sides of the aisle. We even have one to protect our 2nd Amendment rights. We give more money to save the whales, save our guns, keep salt out of school lunches, etc etc etc. It’s truly ridiculous, but it’s the only way to do business these days.
Few ask why.
We have become Roman citizens - ignorant and divided while our “leaders” line their own pockets. We have a system created by lawyers, for lawyers, monitored by lawyers, and it largely benefits lawyers and those who hire the best lawyers. There are hundreds of issues with well paid attorney’s and lobbyists in charge on both sides. It’s so bad now that every time our government changes power the advocates for one side or the other get senior executive positions in government before returning to the “private sector” for even more money as an advocate when it’s the turn of the opposition.
Advocacy is highly profitable.
What happened prior to that, I learned later, was a prominent D senator was dispatched to Gates in Redmond to explain the facts of life to companies the size and power of MSFT. This meeting ended badly, with Gates throwing the Senator out of his office, questioning after him about what the difference was between what this Senator was proposing and bribery.
If Gates had any smarts he would have had that entire meeting recorded and then put a video of it on every windows Install Disc....
But he didn’t and now MS is just as corrupt as the rest of the big businesses that are in bed with the Government....
>> with Gates throwing the Senator out of his office
Odd that Gates has such an affinity for the Democrat party.
You think Bill Gates would still be running Microsoft if Clinton and Reno hadn't dropped the hammer on Redmond...?
Ballmer has been a disaster.