Report: Microsoft Holds 'Screw Google' Meetings

Microsoft has denied that the company holds meetings where the company develops strategies to undermine search giant Google. The denial follows a report by Daily Finance that said, "Microsoft is at the center of a group of companies who see Google as a threat to them in some combination of business and policy...the effort is designed make Google look like the big high-tech bad guy here."

Daily finance went on to say that these meetings are known by some insiders as "screw Google" meetings.

Citing a source familiar with the matter, who requested anonymity to avoid retribution, Daily Finance reports that the meetings occur once a week, are led by Fred Humphries, Microsoft's chief lobbyist in D.C., and include several people who work for Law Media Group.

"Law Media Group has several people who work full-time on Google-bashing," the source told Daily Finance. "Everybody knows Microsoft is trying to throw roadblocks at Google and knock them off their game. Microsoft is trying to harm Google in the regulatory, legal, and litigation arenas because they're having problems with Google in the competitive marketplace."

Ginny Terzano, Microsoft's Washington spokesperson, called the report absurd.

"This is absurd. While Google is a healthy competitor, Fred is focused on advancing policies that benefit our partners and consumers, and not running meetings of the type you describe. Your sources are badly misinformed, and your information is wrong."

Read the complete story here.

  • chaohsiangchen
    Microsoft has denied that the company holds meetings where the company develops strategies to undermine search giant Google.

    Liars. Executing strategies to undermine search giant Google is what M$ have tried multiple times in the last 6 months. They've tried with cash incentive, changed name of their search brand, heavily invested in "movie" and image search and declared their own brand of online Office service for free. Combined with their new efforts in Windows Mobile, they are actively engaging market wars against Google on almost every front except YouTube. They just made a strategic alliance with Amazon and Yahoo. If they said no such meeting has ever been held, that's a lie, and they are lying.

    BTW, when will they restart selling M$ Word?
    Reply
  • megamanx00
    Yeah, because poor little Microsoft is such an underdog against the dominant Google. Oh wait...............
    Reply
  • tsiberious
    I thought there were anti-competitive laws in place to prevent companies from purposefully interfering with other companies.
    yeah yeah, i know, there Microsoft and they can get away with anything, but this is a little too out in the open.
    Reply
  • bfstev
    I cant comprehend why a D.C. lobbyist would be heading these meetings. He has nothing to do with corporate strategy of that sort. Thats the big hole I see in this story.
    Other than that of course it will come up durring strategy sessions of how to deal with competitors. Google probably does the same, as does every other company. That doesn't mean its a weekly meeting aimed at 1 entity. Thats stupid and an absurd waist of corporate resources. Guess Daily Finance aint got shit else to do.
    Reply
  • hellwig
    "Fred Humphries, Microsoft's chief lobbyist in D.C. .... Fred is focused on advancing policies that benefit our partners and consumers"

    Corporate lobbyists should be illegal. Government should be
    "by the people, for the people", but coporate interests are running rampant in this country. It doesn't matter what Fred is doing, by the very nature of his job, he is anti-democratic. Every day he shows up to work is "screw the tax-paying, law abiding citizen day"
    Reply
  • kelfen
    and this is what benifits the consumer ;P
    Reply
  • griffed88
    I agree with hellwig, corporate lobbyists should be illegal. Along with career politicians. There are absolutely zero altruistic politicians. zero.
    Reply
  • chaohsiangchen
    Lobbyist? They are OK IMHO. I know I'll get maligned for saying this, but if you are open minded enough to read the following, I'd be gracious.

    Lobbyist existed to be publicists hired by special interest groups. Not all special interest groups are bad. There are telecommunications, electric, railway, aviation and agricultural business that can't function without dealing with government on the daily basis. They represent interest to a large chunk of population, not just business owners, shareholders and CEOs, but also people who work in industries.

    Labors Unions also hire lobbyists, although they might not use the name. There are also other kinds of special interest groups who rather label themselves as "activists" such as those for global warming prevention or wild life preservation. They, too, hire publicists to advance their agenda in Washington DC.

    Lobbyist are highly regulated by US law. You have to register, and made public of who you are representing and how much is spent on what. Contrary to some other "activist" groups under US tax code 527, lobbying is actually less corrupt and more open.

    In a democracy, you are allowed to stand up and defend your own interests. Politicians chose their career to grab power by the means through government positions. They are not naturally bound to serve you, and, in most case, will glad to screw you through tax and social-justice agenda. Lobbyists are not the problem. The problem is power. Power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.
    Reply
  • particleman
    That's Capitalism at work......and if you don't like it...you're a commusocialretardist!!!! LOL and this surprises anyone?

    -PM
    Reply
  • fuser
    I don't doubt this is true, but ...

    "Microsoft is trying to harm Google in the regulatory, legal, and litigation arenas because they're having problems with Google in the competitive marketplace"

    Where is MS having trouble with Google other than search? The Chrome browser is no threat to IE. The Chrome OS isn't out yet, so it's certainly no threat to Microsoft's OS dominance. Google's Android is off to a miserable start. Google docs are only a threat to MS Office on the very low end of the market.
    Reply