Microsoft is tied to hundreds of millions of dollars in foreign bribes
I was prepared to get my pitchfork out, but after reading I&#x27;m struggling to connect the dots. This article is scant on details of what illegal or favorable behavior Microsoft is expecting in exchange for money. The only concrete mention is a previous SEC filing that has nothing to do with this whistleblower. The first example about $40k doesn&#x27;t seem to explain what Microsoft was actually thinking it would get for that money, let alone whether that money was illegal. At worst, it seemed to violate corporate policy, which I can understand if that got missed in an initial review. The other examples don&#x27;t sound like bribery on Microsoft&#x27;s part so much as resellers squeezing as much out of a deal as they can get away with. I call that a problem with the reseller model.<p>I imagine Microsoft looks the other way while resellers make lots of money because, realistically, being in some of the markets mentioned is impossible unless you&#x27;re connected with the right person. While not necessarily efficient, I wouldn&#x27;t call that illegal or even unethical without a lot more detail than this article provides.<p>But maybe I&#x27;m missing something. This article reads as poorly researched, and the whistleblower comes off as disgruntled more than ethical.<p>Edit: It&#x27;s worth noting that the whistleblower&#x27;s original words are a little more well-written than this article [1]. However, it makes the contrast clearer between what is factual vs what is only insinuated.<p>1: <a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.lioness.co&#x2F;post&#x2F;microsoft-is-using-illegal-bribes-in-the-middle-east-and-africa-why-is-the-sec-turning-a-blind-eye" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.lioness.co&#x2F;post&#x2F;microsoft-is-using-illegal-bribe...</a>