[ebarker]

Microsoft has two choices regarding that regional.

a) They can support it and be accused of trying to take over the world.

b) They can not support it and be accused of not supporting their community and education and not having 'social responsibility'.

Either way in the eyes of people that don't like Microsoft, they lose.

Microsoft is a large successful company. But they are definitely not all-knowing, all-controlling. Their list of technical and business failures is a long as their successes. There are a lot of vertical markets that MS doesn't dominate or are not even really competitive in.

As a general rule, large companies should support FIRST and/or teams in their corporate shadow. For example, automotive companies give support in the upper midwest. Here in Atlanta, The Coca Cola Company provides substantial support to FIRST in it's shadow here. If Coca Cola was a little more east the Championship would literally be in the shadow of the Coca Cola headquarters. Some companies only support 'plant shadows'. 3M is an example.

Microsoft has too many challenges to solve in their business in order to maintain sustainability. Trying to take over FIRST isn't one of them. FIRST is their 'social responsibility' charity effort.

I agree with the previous poster that this topic is best left alone given the emotionally charged environment surrounding it. And no, I'm not a Microsoft hack. I write linux application code for a living.