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Summary: A hypothetical exchange of ideas published for humour

AS a little bit of background, see:

• Microsoft Colludes Against Google
• Microsoft's Search Endeavours: Resorting to Bribery, Deception, and Intimidation
• Microsoft's Use of Bribes for Search, Only 4% of Microsoft/Razorfish Clients Used Microsoft Search
• Mainstream Media Finally Discovers Microsoft's Anti-Google AstroTurf
• Microsoft's Anti-Google Whisper Campaign

One of our readers has produced this spoof 'memo', which reuses some phrases that can be seen in real memos. It goes like this:

----------------------------- ------- memo to billg -------

From: nathanm To: billg Date: 6 November 2009, 3:05 am Subject: the threat from Google

It's come to my attention that Google is making money out of Internet Search. This despite our best efforts, buying up Yahoo search patents, promoting litigation against the Google book deal and so on. I mean it's not as if we went after Google to pay up royalties on our patented search patent technology, oh, wait, we did so just that... never mind.

I think our forward looking strategy is to tie up with some mega-media corporation offering them prime place on Bing and get them to criticise Google for stealing content. We'll get them to enthuse the rest of the online media to move to paid content, despite the fact they are virtually cutting their own throat. Whatever we do we mustn't ever let slip that content - paid or otherwise - is next to useless, if no one can find it, and we will of course control exactly that.

We'll also plant... er... seed the media with suggestions as to paying people to move from Google to Bing. Make sure it looks like it isn't coming from us. Once we've got 'free' content shutdown and most content on Bing, we effectively control the Internet toll road...

First thing in the morning:

From: billg To: rupertm@wsj.com Date: 6 November 2009, 9:05 am Subject: lets be partners and make lots of money

Dear Rupert,

Those evil people at Google are stealing all your content, but I can help you. Lets be 'partners' and Microsoft will give your material exclusive priority on our upcoming Bing. All we ask in return is you remove your content from Google and trash them in the press and government. Of course once Google is defeated and Microsoft owns Internet search, we'll effectively own both you and your content, but by then it'll be too late. And it isn't as if you are clever enough to notice you being used as a stalking horse in out battle against Google. It isn't the first time we played one 'partner' off against another with empty sweet nothings.

Thanks to our anonymous reader who wrote these E-mails/memos. ⬆