Bonum Certa Men Certa

Microsoft 'TEs' (AstroTurf Employees) Comment on Predictions of Microsoft Doom - Using Talking Points, Without Disclosure

Summary: Paid Microsoft AstroTurfer (probably several, but not yet confirmed) copies and pastes talking points from his bosses, typically as comments in response to blog posts that are critical of Microsoft

OUR earlier explanations of Microsoft problems contain many citations of other posts and articles on the subject. Kara Swisher from the WSJ (Murdoch) has been defending Microsoft in posts we would rather not cite here; she is quoting Microsoft's talking points and propaganda, printing, defending and publishing them verbatim (without challenging the obvious fallacies and made-up numbers).



Those who have read this site for the past week or so will know that Microsoft has many predictions of doom about it not only in blogs but also in the mainstream press (Forbes for example). Microsoft has taken a massive PR hit and it knows this.

Thanks to one of our readers we now have some evidence that Microsoft unleashes its employees to 'fight back' against truthful articles. How? Talking points and propaganda. The damage control is clearly extracted from the head of propaganda at Microsoft (Microsoft names it 'Communication', just like the Gates Foundation names this role which Larry Cohen abandoned last year). Microsoft's current 'Communication' minister was put in place after a few shuffles which even involved Waggener Edstrom. This 'Communication' minister (officially a VP), whose Microsoft TEs join as they post copies (as in "copy and paste") of his message (c/f Kara's original) in blog comments without any disclosure about their employer, is a sign of great failure, maybe even a violation that the FTC should investigate. The blog comments are sourced from Microsoft, posted by paid Microsoft AstroTurfers (TEs), without disclosure. Microsoft ought to develop products, not people who hound Microsoft critics.

“Microsoft must be rather scared given how low it has stooped.”This particular example which we gave happens to have come from a Microsoft employee who smeared this site [1, 2] and smeared me personally with a comparison to a serial killer. It's part of the same technique which is used against one's opposition in the least ethical of ways, essentially a daemonisation which portrays one's opponent as a dangerous terrorist or something of that sort [1, 2]. In some cases, the intention is to provoke and rile up one's opposition for an insult to be blurted out in return and then used completely out of context as 'dirt'.

But anyway, the main point is that a reader of ours found evidence that Microsoft still uses old tricks to rescue a reputation it lost long ago. It's not just one example as there are many others like the Microsoft employee in question and they are all on Microsoft's payroll. That's their job.

Microsoft must be rather scared given how low it has stooped. Kara Swisher should know better.

Twitter results
Read this post for an explanation of the screenshot



Recent Techrights' Posts

The Register MS Says "AI Web Crawlers Are Destroying Websites", So Why Does The Register MS Help 'AI' Companies? (Spoiler: Money)
People need to call out The Register MS on its hypocrisy
Slopfarms Already Peaked, They Will Die When Slop Companies Run Out of Money to Borrow
slopfarms will lack an actual "engine"
Why We Publish Information About the SLAPPs (But Not About the Legal Process), an Abuse of Process by Americans Trying to Silence Critics of Their Employer, Microsoft
It doesn't take thousands of pages to explain something simple
 
Links 02/09/2025: SCO Summit and Russia Suspected Of Jamming GPS
Links for the day
Gemini Links 02/09/2025: Mediterranean Marriage and Staying Connected at 35,000 Feet
Links for the day
Links 02/09/2025: Attacks on Unions, Microsoft TCO, and DDoSing a Growing Problem
Links for the day
Internet Relay Chat Didn't Fall Off a Cliff
IRC will turn 40 in less than 3 years from now
The UEFI 9/11 - Part V - This is Not a Drill (Disable "SecureBoot" Now)
A "9/11" Coming
There's No Obligation to Speak to Anybody
The very fact that "bkuhn" is till spending time in social control media says a lot about his poor judgment
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Monday, September 01, 2025
IRC logs for Monday, September 01, 2025
Microsoft Trying to Force People to Resign (Amid Mass Layoffs) a Strategy That Takes Its Toll
Microsoft seems to be circling down the drain and the "final flush" will be the moment the "hey hi" (AI) bubble implodes completely
Google Simply Cannot Be Trusted
Only fools would trust GAFAM
Admission That a Third Party (or Parties) Funds the SLAPPs Against Techrights
This can end up costing them over a million dollars
Modifying and Writing One's Own Computer Programs is Not a Crime (or: Google Proves That Stallman Was Right)
We're generally gratified to see so many positive mentions of him
Why We Stopped Publishing Videos (for Now)
We'll probably get back to videos one day, but it's hard to say when or to what extent
What Animal Rights Activism Teaches Us About Sympathy and Focus
It's possible to believe that the planet is warming, that we must do something about it, and still eat eggs and butter
When You Turn Web Sites About Tech Into Political Sites
A lot of people fall into the trap of catering only for particular groups
Gemini Links 02/09/2025: ROOPHLOCH 2025 and Lagrange 1.19 Released
Links for the day
Gemini Links 01/09/2025: News Corp. WSJ and A Month With NixOS
Links for the day
“Sideloading” Never Killed Anybody
There are many online discussions this week about the misnomer "sideloading"
Slopwatch: Google News as FUD Vector Against Linux and Plagiarism Enhancer, Serial Slopper (SS) Uses LLMs to Googlebomb "Linux"
Slop destroys the Web not just by screwing with search engines and helping plagiarists. It's also responsible for de facto DDoS attacks...
Links 01/09/2025: "Attacks on Science" and China's "Soft Power" Grows
Links for the day
Links 01/09/2025: Fresh Backlash Against Slop and "Norway’s Electricity Crisis is About to Hit Britain"
Links for the day
Writing and Coding Isn't Always Enough
Last year we had to assume a role we didn't have before: litigants
Links 01/09/2025: Catching Up (Mostly via Deutsche Welle), "Windows TCO" Effect in UK
Links for the day
Gemini Links 01/09/2025: Linguistic Barriers and "Web 1.0 Hosting"
Links for the day
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Sunday, August 31, 2025
IRC logs for Sunday, August 31, 2025
Autumn Has Come
Autumn should be exciting in all sorts of ways; it'll also mark our anniversary
The UEFI 9/11 - Part IV - External Interference
They all seem to be playing a role in crushing Software Freedom and self-determination for users
Links 31/08/2025: Baggage Claim Scams, an Insurrectionist’s War on Culture, and a Sudden Robotics Hype
Links for the day
Gemini Links 31/08/2025: Reviewing Netsurf and Slightly Less Historic Ada Design
Links for the day
IBM Has Taken Control of GNOME
Don't expect a successor to be found any time soon
Links 31/08/2025: Google Gmail Data Breach and LF Puff Pieces for Pay
Links for the day
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Saturday, August 30, 2025
IRC logs for Saturday, August 30, 2025
This is What Google News Has Become
Moments ago