And the money probably stays within their economy. There is a similar situation in Alaska. The seafood industry hires workers for minimum wage. Those employees work 16 hours a day, 7 days a week for four months straight. The majority of these employees are from the Philippines, Ethiopia, Somalia, and the Ukraine. They are charged for room and board and airfare. The majority of the money they make goes back with them. They work through the most brutal aches and pains while ankle deep in fish guts with no heat because the money is worth it to them. They all go home for a month, most blow all their money and come back broke - year after year. In another light, a deck hand on a fishing vessel averages 0.018 cents a pound for salmon (due to different types of salmon and assuming a standard 10% share of the catch). The cannery sells it for around $3.85 a pound and they process 10,000 pounds or greater per hour. Now, how that turns into around $12.00 a pound at the grocery store is insane since transportation and frozen storage only count for a fraction of that price. It's like a big slap in the face - especially to the deck hand who takes the greatest risks and works for 18 hours a day. Anyway, that's the closest thing to a sweat shop I've seen in the U.S.. I'm interested to know more about the worst working conditions that you've seen in China - things like that don't seem to make it into the news. As for the main article, it seems like the author tried to jab China and Microsoft in a single blow. I am no fan of Microsoft either, but I am grateful for your contribution of clarity.