Bonum Certa Men Certa

Microsoft Knows That When Shareholders Realise Azure Has Failed the Whole Boat Will Sink

Video download link | md5sum ef4d5d7a27785805a35e89a5fb0bde9a



Summary: The paranoia at Microsoft is well justified; they've been lying to shareholders to inflate share prices and they don't really deliver the goods, just false hopes and unfulfilled promises

THE VIDEO above has been planned for nearly a week, albeit it wasn't scripted or anything, nor was the bird (wallpaper of the day). Following last night's piece by Mitchel Lewis, which was work in progress for a while, we can debate a number of points raised in his article. Internal discussions about it showed disagreement about the history of Microsoft, so we thought we'd make a followup video with some more thoughts, including further input from Microsoft watchers or longtime observers.



"Azure layoffs are being hidden from them and there's financial fraud taking place. Not for the first time in Microsoft's history..."The main point of contention is the claim that sometimes Microsoft is "first" at things. As noted a number of days ago, it's almost never the case. Throughout the company's entire history it was mostly 'stealing' other people's work, undermining the original. then rewriting history (to make Microsoft seem like a pioneer). Many people still think that Windows was the first operating systems with windows in it, that Microsoft Office is the 'original' office suite (Microsoft did not even develop it; it just bought it piece-wise), and that Microsoft had a role in the rise of the Internet or the World Wide Web. The very opposite is true!

For quite some time now (a number of years) Mr. Lewis, who was inside Microsoft, has pointed out that Microsoft is in effect defrauding shareholders. He even filed evidence and lodged a formal complaint with the SEC. Azure layoffs are being hidden from them and there's financial fraud taking place. Not for the first time in Microsoft's history...

How about those scattered press reports about Azure-linked datacentres being shut down?

I recently wrote that "Linux is a Lot More Dominant Than You Were Led to Believe" (or "Almost 50% of Web Traffic is Linux at the Client Side, Even Higher on the Server Side") along with a chart and meme:

GNU/Linux market share
We're not as small as they want us to think



Kong Godzilla Doge: Apple, Microsoft, GNU/Linux
Combined market share continues to grow



As a Techrights associate pointed out at the time, "below some level of market share (85% or so) Microsoft will no longer be able to maintain monopoly rents. I expect that the threshold has been crossed and that's why they started to "give" away the new versions. It's probably also why so many budget items have been moved under the heading "Azure" so as to provide the illusion of growth somewhere. [...] nymshifting is a common tactic among many companies. Microsoft uses it a lot [...] since NT5 bombed in the reviews. Also, technically, they should not be able to trademark common dictionary words [reference to "Surface"]. But as far as the budgets go, Microsoft did a big reshuffle after it was noted in their SEC filings that their biggest line item was advertising. The reshuffle did not change anything except the names. The "research" is advertising, etc. By putting more and more under the "Azure" heading, Microsoft can fake growth, especially when combined with the efforts of its minion stenographers out in what's left of the trade press." (Example puff piece from The New York Times, parroting what Microsoft claims; or "cooking the books" as the associate put it)

Regarding Vista 11, said this associate: "I'm suspecting that Vista 11 has no other purpose than to push TPM hardware and eliminate all Free, general-purpose motherboards. Once the TPM modules are ubiquitous they can start the software side..."

"How about those scattered press reports about Azure-linked datacentres being shut down?"Taking note of a site called "The No More Ransom Project", the associate dubbed it "snakeoil", noting that it was distracting from the fact ransomware was mostly a Microsoft/Windows issue, as Mr. Lewis pointed out several times since May. This site "shows only snakeoil and is missing Ubuntu, Devuan, FreeBSD, and the real deal," the associate said.

That's the desktop side for the most part, even though servers too get targeted. In the realm of servers Microsoft lost the battle a very long time ago (see "Is Azure Stagnating?" in case they've fooled some people into thinking they're a big server host; they're not! Remember there are Azure layoffs. Microsoft was super-paranoid about any of us mentioning these layoffs because that harms morale and HR! They even came to our IRC channels to discourage us talking about that!).

In another, albeit related and separate post, we'll examine the claim that Microsoft was ever first to do something or actually innovate (as the buzzword goes). Stay tuned as we've not recorded or composed that yet. It oughtn't take long.

Recent Techrights' Posts

Karen Melchior Fought the Good Fight
stay tuned for Part 29
We Need Less Gadgets, More Humanity
If people are being honest with themselves, many of the gadgets they claim they "cannot live without" are just excesses and distractions they could definitely leave behind
Daniel Pocock in The Guardian This Morning
There is an opportunity here to spread a message, even if Pocock won't win a seat
 
Search Engine Market Share in Italy: Microsoft Falls to Third in Many Countries Including Italy
Expect more layoffs in Bing
Links 20/07/2026: Spotify Drowning in Slop, Expiry of Software Patents in MPEG-4
Links for the day
Gemini Links 20/07/2026: Another Step Towards Owning Personal Data and Gemtext2 Envisioned
Links for the day
European Patent Office (EPO) Series: Public Missions and Private Ambitions
Despite the French government's strong formal pushback, the lobbying momentum generated by Campinos and Negrão proved unstoppable
"DOOM" and "Bloodbath": the State of Microsoft and XBox
Way to piss off fans
Links 20/07/2026: Notes on E-mail Encryption, Torvalds and His Employer Paid a Lot to Promote Slop (Pyramid Scheme)
Links for the day
What a Difference Six Years Make...
We are also beta-testing a new feature for the site; we plan to announce it some time soon
When It Comes to Slop, Richard Stallman is Opposite of Linus Torvalds
When it comes to computing, Dr. Stallman has long been a voice of reason
Daniel Pocock is in Mainstream Media This Week
Pocock's haters will absolutely hate this
In His Departure Post, Poul-Henning Kamp (phk) Explains Why Linus Torvalds is Full of "Hot Air" and Slop Bubbles
Having lived through previous bubbles as a UNIX geek, phk cannot be ignored
Whistleblowers Keep Flowing
Later today a police investigator should phone us regarding death threats we've received
Technology and Gadgets Got Obese, Just Like Their Users
They now sell us so-called 'phones' for slop
"Samsung Recently Projected a 19-fold Surge in Second-Quarter Operating Profit", Now There Are Mass Layoffs
In a 9-month period Samsung's debt rose by about 80%
Gemini Links 20/07/2026: Dungeon Meshi/Undertale Crossover, "The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Dark Web and Beyond"
Links for the day
IBM's Control of the Media "Just Showed What Taking Accountability Does Not Look Like"
It is no secret that IBM pays the media
Microsoft Loses XBox Lawsuit, But There Are More
The collapse of studios continues
GNU/Linux Approaching International Average in Djibouti
One can envisage further gains for GNU/Linux, seeing Microsoft is in such a bad shape
Daniel Pocock "[t]he Australian Taking on Nigel Farage — from Down Under"
This can help raise awareness of some issues
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Sunday, July 19, 2026
IRC logs for Sunday, July 19, 2026
Misleading Coverage in Slashdot Promotes and Openwashes Slop
Piggybacking RMS for the headline seems like a PR stunt of sorts
As Envisioned, a Rebellion and Many Whistleblowers at Microsoft
Whistleblowers ensure Microsoft has totally lost control of the "narrative" (face-saving PR)
Microsoft is a Right-Wing Company
Just remember that when people call Microsoft "woke"
GNU/Linux "Market Share" Rises to About a Quarter in Sudan
Can anyone explain to us why?
Gemini Links 19/07/2026: Visiting Ethiopia, Two Dreams, and Price of Skinnerboxes
Links for the day
Tears in IBM, Company Falls Apart While Management Fakes "Performance" to Take Bonuses
Wall Street is a naked emperor
Telling Our Story
In the coming years we'll have some high-impact stories to share and generally tell without fear of reprisal
Microsoft XBox Studio Leaders Upset at What the New CEO Did
From what we can gather, in 2024 XBox was already entering what's known as a "death spiral". Now it's literally moving down the drain/pipe.
IRC Started in Finland, GNU/Linux Did Not
History is like that
GNU/Linux Rises to 8% in Bhutan, Same as the International Average
Taking note of estimated GNU/Linux share in that country, we see it hovering around the international median/average this month
Links 19/07/2026: "The Voice of Google" and "Chinese Surveillance Tech a Threat to Privacy"
Links for the day
Keep Both Eyes on the Ball
At the moment we have six series running in parallel; two of them concern the EPO
'Journalists' Who Help IBM Cover Up Fraud
Journalistic malpractice
The "Modern Linux" Song
Join us now, make the kernel
XBox Layoffs Vastly Bigger Than Microsoft Told the Press, Microsoft Keeps Trying to Change the Subject
Many so-called "XBox fans" are no more
Microsoft Lost 1,200 Billion Dollars in "Market Value", Take a Look at What Happened to Windows
while Windows continues to fall unstoppably GNU/Linux is surging
Links 19/07/2026: People in China Are Buying Feelings and 404 Media Has Third Anniversary
Links for the day
Gemini Links 19/07/2026: Camping, Health, and Hardware
Links for the day
The State of Slopfarms
Slopfarms or LLM slopfarms are a menace and a problem on the Web
GNU/Linux Rising to 6% in Brunei
seventh in the world for GDP (PPP) per capita
Free Software is Like an 'Activist Movement'
People who argue strongly in favour of something (even very good things) will attract the wrath of those whom they oppose
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Saturday, July 18, 2026
IRC logs for Saturday, July 18, 2026
UKIP TV (GBNoise) Covers Challengers to UKIP Nigel, Daniel Pocock Mentioned
Way to get noticed
Links 18/07/2026: Chinese State Media Depicting Neighbours as Monkeys, US "Stocks Sink on Anxiety About Tech and Hey Hi (AI) Spending"
Links for the day
Gemini Links 18/07/2026: "Business Idiots Everywhere", "The Siren Song of DePIN", and Entering Geminispace
Links for the day
GNU/Linux in Lithuanian Desktops/Laptops Climbs to 8%, the Global Average
For its own national security it would be wise to abandon Windows
This Bubble is Bursting, Piecewise
It's nice to see Wall Street getting some reality checks
It's Not About XBox, Microsoft is Already Firing Hundreds of People Who Do "Security [sic] Engineering" [sic]
The official reason/excuse/lie told is something about slop, but no sane person would buy it (not even insiders who are impacted)
Can We Finally All Agree That UEFI 'Secure Boot' is a Sham That Harms Security and Gives Microsoft Remote Control Over All PCs and Servers (Even Those That Don't Run Any Microsoft Software)?
Cui bono?
Bolivian People Adopt GNU/Linux (They Have a Domestic Distro Too, PluriOS)
Notice Windows falling to an all-time low
No Technical People Write About UK Parliamentary Elections
Almost none of them work in the media, which seems to favour parrots, slop, or parrots that use slop
"But Stallman is Scaring Away Women..."
Such dishonest projections (projection tactics) needs to be called out and refuted
First Female Debian Project Leader (DPL) Affirms Low Profile and Inferior Status of Women in GAFAM
3 months ago Sruthi Chandran was elected as Debian Project Leader (DPL) for a period of 12 months
After 5 Years Vista 11 Still Adopted Less Than Its Predecessor (Orphaned, End of Life Since Last Year)
Notice Windows going down to 40%
We Don't Depend on Google (or Search Engines in General)
there's a lesson here and it extends beyond sites
Only "Torvaldos" (Linus Torvalds) Can Use the F-Word, CoC Does Not Apply to the Enforcer, and Richard Stallman Punished for Using the Other F-Word ("Freedom")
"Linus Torvalds tells AI haters to fork off"
Explaining the Culture of Bulletin Board-Style Chat
Only desperate detractors would try to present something (cherry-picked) from IRC as some sort of official statement for Techrights
Independent, But Not Fringe
"Daniel Pocock is an Independent Candidate."
In Free Software, Nobody Gets Fired
Way to own one's code and project
PIP-Styled Mass Layoffs Allegedly Coming to Microsoft by 12 August 2026
Microsoft has been doing "silent layoffs" (PIPs and more) for quite some time
Daniel Pocock's Candidacy (Election of Member of Parliament) Mentioned in BBC and Over a Dozen News Sites Since Yesterday
Funnily enough, albeit not surprisingly, the same people who attack Pocock also attack us
Links 18/07/2026: Spotify Uses Slop Song Descriptions, "San Francisco Demands Removal of Nudify Apps"
Links for the day
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Friday, July 17, 2026
IRC logs for Friday, July 17, 2026
Gemini Links 18/07/2026: A Manifesto by The Dissident, Shokz Headphones, and Gemini Tinylog Reader (GTL)
Links for the day