Comment Re:Bribery (Score 1) 773
I think that a lot of what Microsoft would be buying would be the perception that Google no longer has the best stuff. They would be trying to use strategic payments and lots of buzz to create a self-fulfilling prophecy. This could never work under the table. As you note, most people wouldn't even notice.
But yeah, I don't think it would actually be workable: as you say, $1m is probably far too little. Microsoft couldn't even pay for Amazon to switch, I suspect. Others would refuse the move on principle, like slashdot or the IRS.