I’m just a little Microsoft Employee (and retired Army Soldier) but see some disturbing things from my COVID infested fighting position. Well… My fighting position in Fort Living room must be COVID infested because I refuse to wear a mask and get condemned for that in Big Box stores and gas stations all the time.
In my opinion, some elements of the Press are Sellin’ the News, as the verse goes in the Switchfoot song with that name. The story at Epoch Times (otherwise Great Newspaper) and at Fox News (Don’t listen to them anymore) is that some in the Trump Admin are threatening to cancel MS Federal contracts if my company does not back away from doing business in China. That is in several Fox Segments and is mentioned in the Epoch Times. As a little cog in MS Federal, I have not heard a single word about that.
On the surface, MS China is a $12.5 Billion business. MS Federal is a $1.4 Billion business segment. Playing this difference, I believe Epoch Times and Fox News are reporting disinformation and misinformation, and it is landing in otherwise responsible news organs. My multiple combat tour soldier brain thinks this is very similar to what Bill Gertz calls Deceiving the Sky in his book by that title. His book details the history, from the 1980s on, of China’s deception of the world. As the ‘Great Power’ competition in the Pacific cranks up, the surface examination would indicate to some folks that MS might have to choose between a $12.5 Bn market and a $1.4 Bn segment.
NOT SO! I question the deep sources for their disinformation that attempts to Deceive the Sky, but the company I work for is a trillion dollar business that does things like invest hundreds of millions every year in the software and devices that help the handicapped. Many of those are wounded warriors and policemen injured in the line of duty. Microsoft also matches charitable giving of employees to a wide range of non-profits and charities. The reality I see is that Microsoft protects the innocent, defends the defenseless, and rescues the poor from wickedness. Its investment in and work with MS Federal does those things and helps our government do a lot of stuff ‘more better.’ By the way, the term, ‘more better’ is a Texas oil field term that implies the next time you turn on a chain hoist, it won’t take any fingers off. At Microsoft, we have so many things that are much ‘More Better’ for our government, our citizens who are customers, and as we meet our CEO’s mission directive to empower everyone on the planet, we help the innocent, the defenseless, and rescue the poor.
I hope the Great Power competition in the Pacific returns to peaceful business competition as our post-COVID economy does a V shaped recovery, but no one should doubt Microsoft’s love of freedom, liberty, and the individuals that we passionately want to empower. As an old soldier who hugged a curb in Iraq during rocket and mortar attacks, a return to Peaceful business competition between my country and China is what I pray for. War sucks and I really hope we don’t go there.
I might be a grumpy fart about wearing a mask, because I refuse that invitation to panic, but working at Microsoft is a tremendous joy. Fox News and Epoch Times need to relook this one and discover the truth… As opposed to helping hidden people Deceive the Sky.
I’m just a little COG at Microsoft, but here’s what my CEO says: