Microsoft Reverses Stand on Discrimination Bill 374
sriram_2001 writes "Bowing to intense pressure both from outside as well as its employees, Microsoft has reversed its stand on the anti-discrimination bill. In a company wide email, Steve Ballmer says that though the Washington legislative session is over for the year, they'll support any such legislation in the future. However, he adds that they'll be supporting it in the US only as they don't want to involve the company in debates in countries with different cultures and value systems. He also says that he doesn't think Microsoft should be involved in most public policy issues." Announcement about the email's release on the Scobleizer main site.
Re:Before it gets Slashdotted... (Score:3, Interesting)
Hidden glass ceiling for minorities at Microsoft (Score:1, Interesting)
For a group of 14,000 people that has been around for decades and generates so much income, you'd think that they would have more than 25-30 women in senior leadership roles within the Windows group...
"In countries with different value systems" (Score:2, Interesting)
China has a "different value system" that endorses the use of slave labor and politcal gulags. For that matter, Buchenwald was the result of a "different value system". Where does it end?
I think they picked the worst of two possible choices -- endorsing a squishy moral relativism in the name of cultural diversity that only serves to justify barbaric behavior, and it's all been done in the name of profits.
Maybe Bill should have stayed at Harvard and gotten a little better education.
Re:It's not Perversion... (Score:1, Interesting)
neutrality is unamerican!!! get off the fence microsoft!!!!
Re:Uh... y'know (Score:1, Interesting)
Um, well, yes you do. Not Microsoft specifically, but corporate support, because when all THREE houses of government are dominated by republicans, there will be an absolute frontal assault on your liberties. Frankly, democrats aren't much better, though they're usually content to do nothing rather than actively foster bigotry. It's corporations who buy the big group insurance policies, so it's they, not the government, who will determine whether your partner can get health care from your coverage or not.
Could someone please explain? (Score:4, Interesting)
One point really stood out in all the e-mails you sent me. Regardless of where people came down on the issues, everyone expressed strong support for the company's commitment to diversity. To me, that's so critical. Our success depends on having a workforce that is as diverse as our customers - and on working together in a way that taps all of that diversity.
How does sexual-orientational diversity help a software company to produce better software? How exactly does Microsoft's success depend on such diversity? If any sort of diversity is relevant, wouldn't it be techincal diversity, or diversity of technical experience among its developers?
I mean this as a serious inquiry. For many years people have fought long and hard to show that someone should not be discriminated against because of his sexual orientation (or race, or other criteria irrelevant to a particular job). The country has made great strides against such discrimination. It seems that many of the same people who fought against discrimination are now saying that such criteria are not only relevant but are actually important to a company's success.
I don't get it. Someone please explain.
Re:Official Email Location (Score:4, Interesting)
Re:Uh... y'know (Score:2, Interesting)
Funny how such activity is considered evil -- until it's for a popular cause.
It's about time (Score:3, Interesting)
Gates and Co. should have told this idiot to take his Bible and shove it up is arse. If religious zealots don't like gay people, then don't engage in homosexual activities and leave everyone else alone.