Lioness

> I read through the "Legal Handbook" and it doesn't seem as much like a handbook as it does a long article about what it's like to be a whistleblower, along with some very high level stuff about what it's like to engage a lawyer. I looked through the "Media Handbook" and had the same conclusion: The advice doesn't really seem to be written with the tech worker's best interests in mind. It's more of an advertisement for journalists to collect stories. The Media section reads like a promotional piece for a media platform called Lioness ( https://www.lioness.co/ ) and its founders. Instead of providing actionable advice about how employees should protect themselves, it mostly glorifies past whistleblowers and encourages the reader to do the same. A truly worker-focused handbook would begin with a long section about whether or not going to the media is a good idea as well as propose some anonymous alternatives. Traditional whistleblowing may not involve the media at all, especially when government intervention (and the resulting rewards if fines are collected) are at stake. Encouraging employees to go straight to the media is reckless, IMO. There is a time and place for whistleblowing, but this is clearly written as a feeder publication for journalists. The more I read this website, the more it feels like a promotional piece for the authors and their budding media outlets than an actual advice book for workers.

I was prepared to get my pitchfork out, but after reading I'm struggling to connect the dots. This article is scant on details of what illegal or favorable behavior Microsoft is expecting in exchange for money. The only concrete mention is a previous SEC filing that has nothing to do with this whistleblower. The first example about $40k doesn't seem to explain what Microsoft was actually thinking it would get for that money, let alone whether that money was illegal. At worst, it seemed to violate corporate policy, which I can understand if that got missed in an initial review. The other examples don't sound like bribery on Microsoft's part so much as resellers squeezing as much out of a deal as they can get away with. I call that a problem with the reseller model. I imagine Microsoft looks the other way while resellers make lots of money because, realistically, being in some of the markets mentioned is impossible unless you're connected with the right person. While not necessarily efficient, I wouldn't call that illegal or even unethical without a lot more detail than this article provides. But maybe I'm missing something. This article reads as poorly researched, and the whistleblower comes off as disgruntled more than ethical. Edit: It's worth noting that the whistleblower's original words are a little more well-written than this article [1]. However, it makes the contrast clearer between what is factual vs what is only insinuated. 1:…

I am not sure why this gets downvoted. Just google it. https://www.lioness.co/post/microsoft-is-using-illegal-bribes-in-the-m…

https://www.lioness.co/post/at-spacex-work-was-taken-away-from-me-in-c… https://www.lioness.co/post/at-spacex-we-re-told-we-can-change-the-wor… If you are a female don't bother to work there,otherwise they will sexually harass you. If you are old,they will take away the work given to you because you will die.

The piece written by the whisteblower includes links to documents: https://www.lioness.co/post/microsoft-is-using-illegal-bribes-in-the-m…

> "What is a shock: This time around, the SEC and DOJ have both declined to investigate Microsoft over the same types of bribes in the Middle East and Africa. They acknowledged my evidence (which I submitted three times) yet did not take up the case, claiming that the current pandemic has prevented them from gathering more evidence from abroad—even though I have already provided documentation that I believe shows Microsoft is in breach of the 2019 agreement and is still participating in corrupt business practices in direct violation of U.S. law." I have no words for this one. I guess being a trillion dollar company comes with a lot of benefits. Source: https://www.lioness.co/post/microsoft-is-using-illegal-bribes-in-the-m…

Primary complaint document: https://www.lioness.co/post/microsoft-is-using-illegal-bribes-in-the-m…

Source article: https://www.lioness.co/post/microsoft-is-using-illegal-bribes-in-the-m…

The actual open letter: https://www.lioness.co/post/bezos-wants-to-create-a-better-future-in-s…

It's interesting that BO tries to tar the author by claiming she was terminated for violations of federal export control regulations - but she was an employee communications manager. How does such a role even intersect with that? Reading the original essay (https://www.lioness.co/post/bezos-wants-to-create-a-better-future-in-s… - it's a strange mix of odious sexual harassment and the seemingly trivial (pissed because the building isn't LEED).

This looks to be the original letter https://www.lioness.co/post/bezos-wants-to-create-a-better-future-in-s…

That's fair, and lots of wealthy people have photos with her or Epstein even if they didn't participate in his pedophilia ring, though many of them took their money. It's just a starting point, though Musk's pettiness and egotism can't be underestimated. Other options: - Implying Musk did participate in the pedophilia ring (not true that we know of, but Musk does have experience with accusing innocent people of being pedophiles) - Tesla being an absurdly racist place to work: https://www.cnbc.com/2022/04/14/judge-finds-tesla-liable-to-black-form… - Rampant sexism at SpaceX: https://www.lioness.co/post/at-spacex-we-re-told-we-can-change-the-wor… - Reminding people how bad the AI is in Tesla vehicles and how many people it's killed and almost killed, and how it gets worse with every software update - Animal cruelty at Neuralink: https://www.the-sun.com/news/4662578/elon-musk-neuralink-test-monkeys-… - Credible reports of emotional abuse against partners: https://medium.com/@webwifi/open-letter-to-grimes-682c2d9cee45 - Reminders that Musk didn't invent or build anything at Tesla, but rather bought the company from the two founders that did all the actual work, and that he's a spoiled brat in general Anything to put oligarchs in their place is always a good thing, since Musk is far beyond the point of absolute power corrupting absolutely.

It's not "resellers" making money, it's apparent that MS' employees and salespeople are using fake contracts and "discounts" to funnel money to decision makers. What MS got out of it at the end of the day — a contract or perhaps some personal earmark for a salesperson — doesn't matter. Their bribes distorted the market, entrenched corruption, and made the lives of people living in these countries worse. It should be punished to the fullest extent of the law. This section in particular is damning, > In another instance, he saw a contractor for the Saudi interior ministry receive a $13 million discount on its software — but the discount never made it back to the end customer. In another case, Qatar’s ministry of education was paying $9.5 million a year for Office and Windows licenses that were never installed. One way or another, money would end up leaking out of the contracting process, most likely split between the government, the subcontractor, and any Microsoft employees in on the deal. These "subcontractors" are usually relatives of people in Government, and they're bribing these officials, then splitting money between all of them in exchange for contracts. This is illegal under the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act. The whistleblower wrote a post detailing his accusations here, https://www.lioness.co/post/microsoft-is-using-illegal-bribes-in-the-m… These provide even more color. > In 2016, a request came through in…

I thought Mexico rejected it due to water scarcity? [1] Nobody cares about the environment anymore? :thinking_face: Seems like there was some bribery under the hood, that reminds of how the US has helped microsoft cover its 'briberies' [2], no wonder [3] [1] - https://www.reuters.com/business/autos-transportation/tesla-cant-build… [2] - https://www.theverge.com/2022/3/25/22995144/microsoft-foreign-corrupt-… [2+] - https://www.theregister.com/2022/03/25/microsoft_accused_of_corrupt_bu… [2++] - https://www.lioness.co/post/microsoft-is-using-illegal-bribes-in-the-m… [3] - https://www.reuters.com/article/uk-space-exploration-spacex-satellites…