How Microsoft Conquered Washington

from the lobby-lobby-lobby dept

Fortune has an article all about how Microsoft turned around their lobbying efforts in Washington DC. They used to be absolutely terrible - but now have one of the "best" lobbying organizations, according to folks in the article. Microsoft says they're just trying to make sure that legislators better "understand" the issues that will affect them. Microsoft foes, however, suggest that they're "undermining" the proper course of legal action.
Hide this

Thank you for reading this Techdirt post. With so many things competing for everyone’s attention these days, we really appreciate you giving us your time. We work hard every day to put quality content out there for our community.

Techdirt is one of the few remaining truly independent media outlets. We do not have a giant corporation behind us, and we rely heavily on our community to support us, in an age when advertisers are increasingly uninterested in sponsoring small, independent sites — especially a site like ours that is unwilling to pull punches in its reporting and analysis.

While other websites have resorted to paywalls, registration requirements, and increasingly annoying/intrusive advertising, we have always kept Techdirt open and available to anyone. But in order to continue doing so, we need your support. We offer a variety of ways for our readers to support us, from direct donations to special subscriptions and cool merchandise — and every little bit helps. Thank you.

–The Techdirt Team


Reader Comments

Subscribe: RSS

View by: Time | Thread


  1. identicon
    2Lazy2Register, 15 Apr 2002 @ 10:38am

    Yeah, like...

    ...when I want a traffic cop to 'better understand' the issues that compel me to do 85 in a 55 zone!

    link to this | view in thread ]

  2. identicon
    Duffman, 15 Apr 2002 @ 11:33am

    The Distinguished Gentleman

    I always laugh when I go back and watch this movie, because it reflects the common belief that whoever has the most money wins the vote. I'm sure there are quite a few people in the government who are really there to make a difference, but good people don't make good news, do they? It's too bad those who fit the stereotype are the ones who are remembered.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  3. identicon
    The Misanthrope, 16 Apr 2002 @ 9:23am

    MSMoney.exe

    Problem is, while there may be a few people in the government who actually want to make a difference, none of them - whether or not they want to make a difference - know anything about computers. But one thing they all know is money - and God knows, MS has plenty of that.
    Two things we can thank Microsoft for defining, or redefining: what a monopoly is, and what an 800 pound gorilla is. From the company that thought the Internet "wouldn't amount to anything" comes the dominant browser - only because they could afford to give it away in order to kill the preferred browser of the time. (Not to mention making it the only browser OEMs could offer, or else.) And from the company that didn't want anything to do with politics, a company that discovered real fast just how far a greased palm goes, when suddenly their interests are "special."

    link to this | view in thread ]


Follow Techdirt
Essential Reading
Techdirt Deals
Report this ad  |  Hide Techdirt ads
Techdirt Insider Discord

The latest chatter on the Techdirt Insider Discord channel...

Loading...
Recent Stories

This site, like most other sites on the web, uses cookies. For more information, see our privacy policy. Got it
Close

Email This

This feature is only available to registered users. Register or sign in to use it.