09.26.10
Incentivising Favours: “Microsoft Alumni Foundation”, “Microsoft Partner Awards”, and “Microsoft Tech Track 100”
Summary: New examples and a quick explanation of Microsoft’s rewarding system, which allows the company to have other companies act as its subsidiaries rather than independent players
LAST week we wrote about how Microsoft surrounds itself by companies that serve it (satellites), either by signing one-sided deals or putting some Microsoft people inside them. Examples were mentioned last week including one from Dubai, whose government sellout to Microsoft is an issue we covered in posts about the UAE [1, 2, 3]. The latest business affairs there show who’s in charge and Microsoft seems to have run something called “Microsoft Alumni Foundation”, which it uses to grant awards just like it is grooming companies around the world with a “Microsoft Partner Awards Ceremony”, e.g.: “Microsoft development powerhouse, 3fifteen, was announced the winner of the Services-Orientated Architecture (SOA) and Business Process Management (BPM) Award at the annual Microsoft Partner Awards Ceremony, held at the Sun City Super Bowl on 2 September 2010.” (listen to this recent South African show discussing Microsoft corruption, including acquisitions of open source rivals in the country)
“It’s one of the biggest impediments Microsoft competitors will ever have, even though it is rarely discussed at all.”This is a ranking game Microsoft uses to reward or retaliate against companies; they are racing for favours, just like the OEMs. It’s one of the biggest impediments Microsoft competitors will ever have, even though it is rarely discussed at all.
We also found quite a few new articles (e.g. this one) about “Microsoft Tech Track 100″, which says: “Five Southwest technology companies have forced their way into the Sunday Times Microsoft Tech Track 100.”
Sunday Times? Microsoft? Et tu? █
