"On the desktop, we have a strategic win today (monopoly). We must keep the desktop." - Presentation, Microsoft Executive Staff Retreat, May 10, 1990
"We are engaged in a FUD campaign to let the press know about some of the bugs. We'll provide info a few bugs at a time to stretch it out." -
Brad Silverberg, July 22, 1991
"Objectives: FUD DR DOS with every editorial contact made." -
MS-DOS 6 PR Plan, November 1992
"look what znix is doing! cut those fuckers off." -
Brad Silverberg, May 19, 1992
"Five minutes after any agreement is signed with Microsoft, they'll be thinking of how to violate the agreement. They're predators. They crush their competition. They crush new ideas. They stifle innovation. That's what they do." -
Massachusetts Attorney General Thomas F. Reilly, Quoted by Matthew Szulik at a U.S. Senate Hearing, Dec 12, 2001
"I'm going to f*cking bury that guy, I have done it before, and I will do it again. I'm going to f*cking kill Google." -
CEO Steve Ballmer
Investment in Microsoft® products or stock supports their corporate conduct. Here are actions taken by Microsoft which may give reason to consider not supporting them by investing in their stock or software.
Also of importance is their investment and ownership of other companies. As of 1999 it's a long list. Microsoft's investor relations page goes back to 1994. Much of Microsoft's software has not actually been written by Microsoft, but purchased from others. Especially disconcerting is the billions of dollars Microsoft has invested in media corporations. It can buy them unknown influence to companies such as NBC.