Microsoft Bankruptcy
A headsup: ("not in Western news," an associate points out)
Maybe this is why: (published a few days ago)
Microsoft in 2022 said it had suspended "all new sales of products and services in Russia," although service for existing customers continued. In April 2023, Redmond agreed to pay several million to settle allegations that it had flouted sanctions by selling to individuals and companies in Russia, Iran, and other US-sanctioned nations.Then, in August 2023, Microsoft informed businesses in Russia that it would stop renewing software licenses in October of that year, and shortly thereafter started disconnecting Russian customers from the Microsoft 365 and Office 365 cloud services, Tass reported. According to Forbes Russia, some 70 to 90 percent of Russian businesses were using Microsoft products or services at the time.
However, Microsoft still had enough outstanding contracts and business partners to keep making money there. According to The Moscow Times, the tech giant's Russian subsidiary in 2024 reported a 38.9 percent increase in net profit, amounting to 174.1 million rubles (~$2.17 million at current exchange rates).
And in May 2024, Russia Today reported that Microsoft was allowing users to download updates to some software without forcing them to go through a VPN.
Microsoft did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
So Microsoft has 1) helped Putin's war against Europe; 2) profited from (1) and 3) been held responsible by the US government for data breaches resulting in Russia getting full access to the most sensitive US data. █
2010: Russia Uses Microsoft to Suppress Dissent
Update: There's more press about it in recent hours*, but details are scarce.
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* E.g. it's covered in the UK ("Overdue retreat? One of Microsoft's subsidiary operations in Russia is reportedly preparing to file for bankruptcy"). Global media said "Microsoft did not immediately respond to an emailed request for comment." Some US media cited this, stating: "One of Microsoft's (NASDAQ:MSFT) Russian subsidiary is getting close to filing for bankruptcy, Reuters reported." We also see that mentioned in Asia and in the EU. Interestingly, Microsoft keeps quiet about this. What would this mean to Windows, Teams, Office, and so on? If Russia gave Microsoft the boot/embargo...