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Microsoft CEO Defends Pentagon Contract Following Employee Outcry (theverge.com)
Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella is defending the company's $479 million contract with the Pentagon to supply augmented reality headsets to the U.S. military. "We made a principled decision that we're not going to withhold technology from institutions that we have elected in democracies to protect the freedoms we enjoy," he told CNN Business at Mobile World Congress. "We were very transparent about that decision and we'll continue to have that dialogue [with employees]," he added during the exclusive interview. From the report: Microsoft was awarded the contract to supply "Integrated Visual Augmentation System" prototypes to the U.S. military in November. The company could eventually deliver over 100,000 headsets under the contract. Microsoft's HoloLens augmented reality technology allows users to see the world around them, but with virtual graphics overlaid. The Israeli military, which has taken delivery of some HoloLens headsets, says the technology can be used to help commanders visualize the battlefield and field medics to consult doctors. According to procurement documents, the U.S. military is seeking a single platform that provides its forces with "increased lethality, mobility and situational awareness" in combat. Microsoft employees have recently circulated a letter addressed to Nadella and Brad Smith, the company's president and chief legal officer, arguing that the company should not supply its HoloLens technology to the U.S. military. "It's not about taking arbitrary action by a single company, it's not about 50 people or 100 people or even 100,000 people in a company," he said. "It's really about being a responsible corporate citizen in a democracy."
imperialists meddling in foreign countries cause oil and wmd's. ftfy
Did Microsoft just refer to the Department of Defense as an "institution we elected"?
Because I'm pretty sure that's not quite how it works.
"We made a principled decision that we're not going to withhold technology from institutions that we have elected in democracies to protect the freedoms we enjoy,"
What about institutions that got elected through gerrymandering in oligarchies to protect profits for oil barons at the expense of human lives, especially in the middle east but also all over the planet? Asking for 7.53 billion friends.
"You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
And with the Brits, and Poles, and Germans, and.... fellas, WAR advances tech.
Modern tech started with the US Military (Score:2, Troll)
That said -- WTF, how is the parent modded Troll?! It's a Troll to tell the fucking truth?
Truly, this place has gone over to the fucking dogs.
Can someone explain to me what, exactly, was Trollish in the parent? Huh?
Oh right, most people here use Troll instead of replying a rebuttal.
the OP was right on the money. Just a little narrow in scope in who bumped up tech in the last big one. It was all the players... yes, even ITaly, where the hell you think the swept wing came from?
The "Civilized World" jumped the shark ca. 1973.
the Military was just the excuse used to get the wealthy to let themselves be taxed so we could pay for it to be developed.
I've got a crazy idea: how about we have modern civilization without a Military Industrial Complex by just taxing the rich whether they like it or not?
Also, are you suggesting the Army was responsible for the horror that is Microsoft Exchange and Office? Best argument for ending war I've ever heard in my life...
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Actual facts beat alternative-history "facts".
There's no reason why that spending has to be military.
Yes there is. It already happened. The past can't be changed.
It may even be the case that, had the money been spent on non-military applications, then the taxpayers would have received an even better bang-for-buck.
Care to write a paper, have it peer-reviewed, published, and then we can discuss it here once it hits the front page.
Until then, this statement is more likely true: it may even be the case that, had the money been spent on non-military applications, we would be speaking German, homosexuals, Africans, Romany, and yes, Jews would be talked about like neanderthals. Bygone and inferior people.
Do not be so quick to wave the white feather.
Now, mind you I used to work for the defense industry, so I may be a bit biased...
I think war technology is a good thing. I would much prefer to simply not go to war, but that sentiment hasn't really held sway at any point in the last few thousand years or so. Somebody always wants to abuse somebody else, and when that ambition reaches the scale of having entire demographics in conflict, you get a war.
Like all large-scale endeavors, a war is messy. People often have their own goals for joining an organization. In a large corporation, their goals might be as sinister as "get paid to sleep", but in a war, they might find a convenient way to hide a murderous rampage under the guise of patriotic service. Of course, this is something everyone (else) would like to avoid, but it's hard to spot the difference between a psychopathic killer and a well-trained soldier.
In the rest of society, this is where a justice system comes into play. Knowing that evidence will be collected and that a crime is likely to be punished deters further crime. Attempts to hide a crime often just produce more evidence against the perpetrators. No, it's not a perfect system, and the justice system itself can be abused, but it's still a net benefit in a peaceful society.
In war, the rigid justice system is often placed second to completing a mission, and any allegations of wrongdoing will be accompanied by very sparse surviving evidence. Within a few days of a crime, witnesses are reassigned, memories are repressed, and new missions take priority over a bureaucratic boondoggle.
Technology doesn't have those limits. Events can be captured, and recordings can be archived. Decisions can be made far from the field of battle, in the safety of a conference room and with the pooled knowledge and awareness of the whole team, supported by streaming intelligence from remote surveillance. Those decisions and the resulting actions can be analyzed, dissected, replayed, and repeated endlessly as a training exercise, until every soldier behaves exactly as the commanders (right up the chain to the top) have authorized.
No, it's not going to be easy. Yes, there will be misbehavior and abuse. There will still be the rampaging marauders who use the military as a ride to a third-world country so they can indulge their own anarchist fantasy. Even if everyone acts appropriately, there will be edge cases that lead to mistakes in everyone's judgement. Nothing will be a perfect solution, but we can work to make it better.
We can put always-on cameras on each soldier. We can use AI to suggest different interpretations of intelligence reports. We can use high-precision guided weaponry to avoid collateral damage. We can use computerized information systems to present an accurate understanding of evidence, and most importantly, we can support a military culture where soldiers know they will be accountable for their actions, and can trust that they will be guided appropriately.
A military is a machine, and for as long as there have been soldiers, they have just been parts in that machine. With modern technology, we can improve the machine, to make it the most reliable, most accurate, and least error-prone.
You do not have a moral or legal right to do absolutely anything you want.
Freedom is not an external influence. Right now your freedom is controlled by your government. They keep telling you they're fighting in other countries for it, but they're legislating away your rights at home.
Does your farm use GPS for crop management or any other application?
Ken
50 people doesn't constitute an "outcry" at a company of 100,000+. 50 people barely constitutes and outcry at a company of 1000. If you don't want to work on a project that's going to be used by the military, don't work on a project that's going to be used by the military*.
* Alternatively, fill your bosses house with a giant tinfoil pan of popcorn.
I have an easy solution to that. Do not commit felonies, then you won't go to prison.