Should you would like to assess the “evil” quotient of any company;s strategy/behavior, look at how you;d feel about it if it were Microsoft within the driver seat.Robert McLaws of Windows-Now.com fame reminded me of my “Is Google evil?” litmus test in his post,
Office 2010 Standard Key, “Google: The New Big Brother.” As McLaws paraphrased it: “When looking at any new Google venture,
Office 2010, swap out the word ‘Google” with ‘Microsoft; and ask yourself should you;re still OK with what;s happening.”It;s an opportune time for this kind of “evil” reality check. Look at a few recent events:* Google invests $3.2 million in 23andMe, a biotech startup cofounded by Anne Wojcicki, the new wife of Google co-founder Sergey Brin. I think there;d be a lot more outcry if Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer invested millions in his wife;s start-up. (Granted,
Office 2007 Ultimate Key, some may claim Ballmer did, in fact, do the same, by marrying a member of Microsoft;s main PR firm, Waggener-Edstrom….)* Google bars other vendors from attending its customer seminars. Sure, if we;re talking meetings where non-disclosed products are being discussed, barring your competitors is fair game. But a regular sales-pitch kind of seminar? It;s common practice for any/all of Microsoft;s competitors to attend these kinds of Microsoft-run events, collect the bags and hats and literature, and maybe even snag a sandwich or two. Can you see the headlines if Microsoft started policing these things in an attempt to weed out “non-customers”?* Google requests its employees refrain from wearing t-shirts from any of its competitors. Can you imagine if Microsoft told its worker bees they couldn;t wear any gear from Google, Yahoo, Apple, IBM,
Office 2010 Home And Business, etc.? I don;t think it would go over really well. In fact,
microsoft Office 2010 Serial, I could envision helicopter drops of care packages from Oracle, Salesforce.com, etc., all across the Redmond campus.)What do you think? Is there a double standard when it comes to Google and Microsoft? Will need to there be?