Microsoft Hasn’t Bowed To Trump — And The Company Is Thriving

Though different tech bigwigs person done what they tin to publically placate nan Trump administration, 1 institution stands retired for not doing truthful — astatine slightest not yet.

Ever since Donald J. Trump was re-elected president, we’ve witnessed a disheartening spectacle: large tech companies bending their knees to him, hoping to get him to termination antitrust actions against them and defend them from European Union rules and fines. 

Meta laminitis and CEO Mark Zuckerberg, Amazon laminitis and Executive Chairman Jeff Bezos, Google CEO Sundar Pichai, and Apple CEO Tim Cook person each successful 1 measurement aliases different shown aliases declared support for nan president’s agenda, particularly his opposition to DEI (diversity, equity and inclusion) programs. Notably, each 4 attended his Jan. 20 inauguration and were beforehand and halfway during nan proceedings. 

Zuckerberg killed DEI efforts astatine Meta, abandoned attempts to incorporate misinformation connected his services, makes regular pilgrimages to Mar-a-Lago, and called then-candidate Trump a “badass” aft past year’s assassination attempt. He sounded for illustration thing truthful overmuch arsenic Trump himself (while utilizing words of much than 1 syllable) when he told Joe Rogan connected a podcast: “The firm world is beautiful culturally neutered. A civilization that celebrates aggression a spot much has its ain merits. Masculine energy, I think, is good.”

And while Trump has made statements astir EU regulators — nan White House past period criticized caller fines against Meta and Apple arsenic a “novel shape of economical extortion” — but has done small to get nan EU to halt its actions against nan companies.

Microsoft takes connected Trump

Meanwhile, Microsoft not only won’t valorize Trump, it’s besides pushing backmost against him. The institution has publically supported its DEI efforts alternatively than sidesplitting them. In December, nan company’s Chief Diversity Officer, Lindsay-Rae McIntyr, wrote connected LinkedIn that Microsoft’s DEI efforts are captious to nan company’s success: “The business lawsuit for D&I [diversity and inclusion] is not only a constant, but is stronger than ever, reinforcing our belief that a divers and inclusive workforce is important for invention and success.”

When worries surfaced that Trump mightiness require American tech companies to suspend their unreality operations successful Europe, aliases move Europeans’ information complete to nan national authorities arsenic portion of a waste and acquisition war, Microsoft Vice Chair and President Brad Smith wrote successful a blog post that he won’t move complete nan information aliases suspend European unreality operations. In fact, he said nan institution is expanding them. He besides said he would sue nan Trump management to protect them, if necessary.  

Two days aft that, Microsoft dropped nan large rule patient of Simpson Thacher & Bartlett, which had agreed to springiness nan management $125 cardinal successful free ineligible activity aft threats from Trump. Microsoft hired Jenner & Block to return its spot — and Jenner & Block sued nan Trump administration instead of giving successful to it.

Microsoft becomes nan world’s astir valuable company

You mightiness expect that aft each that, Trump would person publically attacked Microsoft aliases utilized nan powerfulness of his agency to spell aft nan company. So far, that hasn’t happened. And dissimilar Meta, Apple, Google, and Amazon, Microsoft has thrived since Trump took office. 

Its banal value inched up from $434 a stock conscionable earlier Trump’s inauguration past $445 this week, while nan stock prices of nan others person each declined, sometimes significantly. Along nan way, Microsoft became nan world’s astir valuable company, pinch a marketplace headdress approaching $3.3 trillion. 

Gauging by nan company’s astir caller quarterly results, moreover amended times whitethorn beryllium ahead. The New York Times had this to opportunity astir nan results: “Overall, Microsoft’s results showed unexpected spot successful its business. Sales surpassed $70 billion, up 13% from nan aforesaid play a twelvemonth earlier. Profit roseate to $25.8 billion, up 18%. The results acold exceeded Wall Street’s expectations. Despite nan economical uncertainty, nan institution predicted much spot ahead, saying gross would surpass $73 cardinal successful nan existent quarter.”

Not retired of nan woods yet

All that said, Microsoft is being investigated by nan feds for imaginable antitrust violations having to do pinch AI and unreality computing. That investigation, for illustration nan others, wasn’t begun by nan Trump administration; it was group successful mobility during nan Biden administration. So far, Microsoft’s actions don’t look to person had immoderate effect connected nan suit — aliases nan company.

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella has shown that it’s imaginable for a institution to support its values nether Trump and thrive. Amazon, Apple, Google, and Meta should travel suit.