Microsoft To Grow Legal Team Amid Global Tech Regulation

Microsoft plans to broaden its legal and corporate affairs unit by 20 percent in the coming fiscal year as it prepares for what it sees as a years-long wave of tech regulation across the globe, Microsoft president Brad Smith told Axios. From the report: Smith individually, and Microsoft as a company, have plenty of experience with tech regulation -- most notably, from a decade-long fight with regulators on both sides of the Atlantic over antitrust issues beginning in the late '90s. The hiring spree will continue beyond the current fiscal year, which starts July 1, because the company will need more people than it can hire in a single year, Smith said.

Microsoft needs to be regulated over Windows 11

[xack]

From creating eWaste to screwing people who don't want Microsoft accounts (they keep closing the tricks to avoid having one). We still haven't cleaned up the toxic waste dump that was Internet Explorer as many businesses are still forced to use it.

Re:

[Anonymous Coward]

We still haven't cleaned up the toxic waste dump that was Internet Explorer as many businesses are still forced to use it.

At this point, what else could Microsoft do regarding IE usage?

Again?

[bmimatt]

Do we really need 5 articles about Microsoft or are they platinum++ sponsor now?

Re:

[bmimatt]

... 5 articles per day is what I meant

Too late

[Tablizer]

Oracle hoarded them all

Or, you know, stop breaking laws.

[dmay34]

Honestly it never fails to amaze me that other nations haven't transitioned to Linux for their governments systems yet. I mean, Linux has nearly entirely matched Windows and Macintosh in terms of features and stability for 20 years now. If the EU all decided to transition to Linux, then any software they need to use would have long been ported to Linux by now.

Re:

[Merk42]

Yeah some in the EU [govtech.com] should switch to Linux!



Oops [zdnet.com].

Re:

[dmay34]

Yeah, that's a fun history to remember. Just a quick google search and I find articles about how "No really, Germany is going to switch to linux for realz this time" all the way back to 2002.

https://www.computerworld.com/... [computerworld.com]

Then they have switched back to windows... and then back to Linux.... and then back to windows.... and then a 2020 article said they are switching back to linux. What a waste of time. I mean is it really that hard? I guess so.

You have to wonder

[bobstreo]

How many of the remaining QA staff will be replaced by lawyers.

Could be worse, could be more MBAs.

MS has it backward

[Tablizer]

...they break things and run fast

Actually Reading the Article

[ytene]

Somewhat to my surprise, the Axios article includes the following:-

"Between the lines: While Microsoft spent much of the 2000s fighting with regulators, Smith says this time around Microsoft is working to anticipate and embrace new sets of rules, rather than lead the charge against them."

On the face of it, this sounds like it might be a good thing. But is there more to this than meets the eye?

Smith coming out with this as a public statement might be a move calculated to get a little bit of cheap pu

Re:

[ytene]

Footnote - was going to add this and got carried away and hit enter... but in 2019, Microsoft already had 1,500 [bizjournals.com] in their legal department.

Everybody say it with me...

[dotandslash]

Regulatory capture.