Google’s Shadow Campaigns

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2024-10-28 17:30:03

Since moving into my current role at Microsoft almost seven years ago, I’ve worked hard to be genuine, responsive, and transparent. I’ve taken pains to tell the truth, even when that might make things more complicated for Microsoft. I think, and hope people I’ve engaged with – including reporters, and regulators – would say the same. It’s not comfortable or natural for me to pen something critical of someone else, but in this case, I think it’s important because it concerns me when someone attacks us and, I believe, does so dishonestly.

This week an astroturf group organized by Google is launching. It is designed to discredit Microsoft with competition authorities, and policymakers and mislead the public. Google has gone through great lengths to obfuscate its involvement, funding, and control, most notably by recruiting a handful of European cloud providers, to serve as the public face of the new organization. When the group launches, Google, we understand, will likely present itself as a backseat member rather than its leader. It remains to be seen what Google offered smaller companies to join, either in terms of cash or discounts.

This latest effort comes on the heels of their recent failure to weaponize another organization – CISPE – against Microsoft. In July, when CISPE was on the verge of resolving its complaint against Microsoft, Google offered CISPE’s members a combination of cash and credits amounting to an eye-popping $500 million to reject the settlement and continue pursuing litigation. Wisely, they declined. And, instead, the CISPE members endorsed the resolution we had developed together.