An Encomium to Microsoft: Just Some Small, Probably Irrelevant, Omissions
January 31, 2022
I read “Don’t Forget Microsoft.” Back in the days when my boss at Booz Allen & Hamilton was the toast of business schools, he dragged me along to order bottled water and carry his serious looking briefcase. The most enjoyable part of these excursions to assorted business schools, conferences, and meetings was the lingo. There was a self-importance in the people to whom my boss lectured. The fellow had a soft, gentle voice, and it would output jargon, truisms gleaned from Norm Augustine, and BAH precepts like hire people smarter than you are and look for “Type A” people who will work 60 hours a week.
This write up reminded me of those interesting discussions with those who wanted wisdom about how to be a baller in business. If one looks at the essay/analysis of Microsoft Corporation, one sees mountain tops. These are indeed important; for example:
- The prediction that MSFT will become a $10 trillion dollar company. Translation: Buy stock now.
- The cloud and the new things Microsoft is doing. Translation: AWS and Google are toast.
- Games. Yes, the meta thing. Translation: If you are a coding young gun, apply for a job and ride the tsunami named Softie.
And there are other peaks poking above the intellectual “clouds.”
However, I noted a small, probably irrelevant, omission or two from the write up. These are my opinions, and I assume that those younger and much smarter than I will point out that I am a crazy old coot. Here goes, so take a deep breath.
- Microsoft is unable to address the security issues its software and systems spawn; that is, the cat-and-mouse game between bad actors and good actors pivot in a large part on the seemingly infinite number of security-related issues. These range from decades old Word macros to zippy new methods like those still creating headaches in the aftermath of the SolarWinds’ misstep, the Exchange Server issues, and the soothing information presented on the Microsoft Security Alert page which has not been update for four days as I write down my thoughts. (MSFT tells me that it will take only two hours to read the document.
- Issues related to stuff that happens between different Microsoft employees. I don’t want to belabor the point but “Microsoft Will Review Sexual Harassment Investigation Of Bill Gates, Others” presents some interesting information.
- Clumsy distractions as innovation. I am thinking of the Android enhanced Windows 11 and the announcement of a big deal for an electronic game company. These “big” moves distract people from other facets of the organization.
Net net: Interesting essay, quite positive, and only a few minor omissions. Who cares about security, employee well being, and masterful public relations? I sure don’t.
As my former boss and mentor at BAH told me, “As long as it generates money, everything will be okay.” Plus, I haven’t forgotten Microsoft, okay?
Stephen E Arnold, January 31, 2022
Google Management: A Midas Touch for Some. Others? Nah.
January 31, 2022
There is nothing like great management in action. This recent pair of moves from Google, however, is anything but. Insider reports, “Google Boosted Base Pay for 4 Top Execs to $1 Million and Handed Them up to $34 Million in Stock, Weeks After Employees Raised Concerns About Pay and Inflation.” In this time of rapidly rising prices, one might ask, shouldn’t the company grant cost-of-living increases to all? Don’t be silly—if the executives paid workers enough to keep up with the costs of food and fuel, they would not have as many millions to sprinkle across the C-suite. Writer Martin Coulter tells us:
“According to a summary of executive salaries disclosed in SEC filings, the four Google execs — chief financial officer Ruth Porat, senior VP Prabhakar Raghavan, chief business officer Philipp Schindler, and legal chief Kent Walker — will see their annual salaries bumped from $650,000. All are also eligible for a $2 million bonus if they help Google to meet its ‘social and environmental goals’ for 2022. … As well as their increased annual pay, the executives were granted millions of dollars’ worth of performance and restricted stock units, which variously vest at different times and depend on the execs sticking around.”
Those stock units total $23 million for two of the four executives and $34 million for the other two. These lavish terms follow yet another very profitable quarter for the company. During those three months it took in over $65 billion, nearly $20 billion of which was pure profit. It seems Google believes only the top brass is responsible for these gains—what would rank-and-file workers have to do with it?
Having their request for pay commiserate with inflation rebuffed is but the latest grievance for Google workers. In The Verge’s piece, “Google Will Pay Top Execs $1 Million Each After Declining to Boost Workers’ Pay,” writer Jay Peters points out:
“The raises were also given as Google is embroiled in a legal battle with employees over charges that they were illegally fired in 2019. The employees are planning to call one of the recipients of a new $1 million salary, Kent Walker, to testify as an adverse witness. Employees are also reportedly dissatisfied with the company’s seemingly different remote work policies for higher-ups. In July, senior vice president for technical infrastructure Urs Hölzle announced he was moving to New Zealand, which two employees told CNET was emblematic of a double standard for executives.”
Google’s management methods are remarkable and well matched to the company’s objectives. The employees’ objectives? Hmmm.
Cynthia Murrell, January 31, 2021
Instagram Takes a Stab at Adulting
January 31, 2022
Yahoo Finance explains that, “Instagram Will Now Reduce The Visibility Of ‘Potentially Harmful’ Content” on its platform. Instagram’s reasoning is to clean to up its algorithm and keep users happy, but to also prevent harmful content from getting exposure.
Instagram, like many social media platforms, is attempting to rein in photos and videos deemed “harmful content.” The problem is the definition of “harmful content.” Content with deliberate violence and abuse, bullying, hate speech, pedophilia, and depicting blood such as traffic accidents are obvious. Other videos fall into a bigger gray area.
Borderline content is the biggest problem for Instagram’s algorithm and needs a human filter to interpret it:
“While Instagram’s rules already prohibit much of this type of content, the change could affect borderline posts, or content that hasn’t yet reached the app’s moderators. “To understand if something may break our rules, we’ll look at things like if a caption is similar to a caption that previously broke our rules,” the company explains in an update.”
One of the biggest changes with the policy is that an account’s report history will be taken into consideration with what appears on its feed:
“Additionally, Instagram says it will now factor in each individual user’s reporting history into how it orders their feeds. ‘If our systems predict you’re likely to report a post based on your history of reporting content, we will show the post lower in your Feed,’ Instagram says.”
In 2020, Instagram removed accounts that were deliberately posting misinformation and were debunked by fact checkers. The newest policy will target individual posts and not entire accounts.
Whitney Grace, January 31, 2022
NSO Group: Yes, Again with the PR Trigger
January 31, 2022
I have no idea if the write up “NSO’s Pegasus Spyware Used to Target a Senior Human Rights Watch Activist” is spot on. The validity of the report is a matter for other, more youthful and intelligent individuals. My thought when reading this statement in the article went in a different direction. Here’s the quote I noted:
In a tweet, Fakih showed a screenshot of a notification she received from Apple informing her she may have been the target of a state-sponsored attacker.
Okay, surveillance. Usually surveillance requires someone to identify something as warranting observation. the paragraph continues:
Though others versions of Pegasus software uses text messages embedded with malicious links to gain access to a target’s device, Fakih said she was the victim of a “zero-click attack” that is capable of infecting a device without the target ever clicking a link. Once a target is successfully infected, NSO’s Pegasus software allows the end-user to surveil the target’s photos, documents, and even encrypted messages without the target ever knowing.
The message is that NSO Group continues to get coverage in what might be called Silicon Valley real news media. Are there other systems which provide similar functionality? Why is a cloud service unable to filter problematic activities?
The public relations magnetism of the NSO Group appears to be growing, not attenuating. Other vendors of specialized software and services whose very existence was a secret a few years ago has emerged as the equivalent of the Coca-Cola logo, McDonald’s golden arches, or the Eiffel tower.
My view is that the downstream consequences of exposing specialized software and services may have some unexpected consequences. Example: See the Golden Arches. Crave a Big Mac. What’s the NSO Group trigger evoke? More coverage, more suspicions, and more interest in the methods used to snag personal and confidential information.
Stephen E Arnold, January 31, 2022
Mike Lynch: Going to America?
January 29, 2022
I noted the Beeb’s article “Mike Lynch: Priti Patel Approves Extradition of Autonomy Founder.” The write up states:
Home Secretary Priti Patel has approved the extradition of a British tech tycoon to the US to face criminal fraud charges. The decision comes after Mike Lynch, the founder of Autonomy, lost a multibillion-dollar fraud action in London on Friday.
Welp.
A Home Office spokesperson said: “Under the Extradition Act 2003, the secretary of state must sign an extradition order if there are no grounds to prohibit the order being made. Extradition requests are only sent to the home secretary once a judge decides it can proceed after considering various aspects of the case. On 28 January, following consideration by the courts, the extradition of Dr Michael Lynch to the US was ordered.”
The Beeb’s write up includes some biographical information:
Cambridge graduate Mr Lynch, 56, built Autonomy up to be one of the top 100 UK public companies. In 2006, he was awarded an OBE for services to enterprise. A fellow of the Royal Society, Mr Lynch, who lives in Suffolk, previously advised the government and sat on the boards of the British Library and the BBC.
The brief summary omits some interesting information; for example, the Bayesian influence and the architecture of a system which would influence decades of content processing systems. More information is available on my Xenky.com site at this link: https://bit.ly/3IQTwgz
Stephen E Arnold, January 29, 2022
Hewlett Packard Autonomy: A Decision of Sorts
January 28, 2022
I read “HPE Has Substantially Succeeded in Its £3.3bn Fraud Trial against Autonomy’s Mike Lynch – Judge.” The write up reports that buyer beware is not a legal argument. It appears that more litigation awaits Mike Lynch in the US. I noted one interesting statement in the very good summary of the UK legal activities:
Autonomy, which told the market it was a “pure play” software company, accounted for its substantial hardware sales by burying them inside its sales and marketing revenue instead of breaking them out separately.
I am delighted I am not an attorney. I am a retired knowledge worker who has some familiarity with the general technology used by Autonomy and I did some work for the company years ago.
My uninformed view is that Hewlett Packard was looking for a home run when Léo Apotheker (formerly SAP and owner of the TREX search technology), ignored realities about the search and content processing revenue ceilings. Hewlett Packard, it seems to me, pushed forward, ignored inputs, and paid the what might be called the Ford Bronco surcharge.
What happens when a used vehicle sales professional explains the sidewalk guarantee to the buyer? Nothing. Buyers often do not do their homework, are too excited about the deal, or just don’t care about the future until it arrives. Oh, oh. Are there lemon laws for content processing platforms? I suppose the question will be answered US style in the coming months.
Stephen E Arnold, January 28, 2022
Useful Concept: Algorithmic Censorship
January 28, 2022
This year I will be 78. Exciting. I create blog posts because it makes life in the warehouse for the soon-to-be-dead bustle along. That’s why it is difficult for me to get too excited about the quite insightful essay called “Censorship By Algorithm Does Far More Damage Than Conventional Censorship.”
Here’s the paragraph I found particularly important:
… far more consequential than overt censorship of individuals is censorship by algorithm. No individual being silenced does as much real-world damage to free expression and free thought as the way ideas and information which aren’t authorized by the powerful are being actively hidden from public view, while material which serves the interests of the powerful is the first thing they see in their search results. It ensures that public consciousness remains chained to the establishment narrative matrix.
I would like to add several observations:
- There is little regulatory or business incentive to exert the mental effort necessary to work through content controls on the modern datasphere in the US and Western Europe. Some countries have figured it out and are taking steps to use the flows of information to create a shaped information payload
- The failure to curtail the actions of a certain high technology companies illustrates a failure in decision making. Examples range from information warfare for purposes of money or ideology allowed to operate unchecked to the inability of government officials to respond to train robberies in California
- The censorship by algorithm approach is new and difficult to understand in social and economic contexts. As a result, biases will be baked in because initial conditions evolve automatically and it takes a great deal of work to figure out what is happening. Disintegrative deplatforming is not a concept most people find useful.
What’s the outlook? For me, no big deal. For many, digital constructs. What’s real? The clanking of the wheelchair in the next room. For some, cluelessness or finding a life in the world of zeros and ones.
Stephen E Arnold, January 28, 2022
Synthetic Data: The Future Because Real Data Is Too Inefficient
January 28, 2022
One of the biggest problems with AI advancement is the lack of comprehensive datasets. AI algorithms use datasets to learn how to interpret and understand information. The lack of datasets has resulted in biased aka faulty algorithms. The most notorious examples are “racist” photo recognition or light sensitivity algorithms that are unable to distinguish dark skin tones. VentureBeat shares that a new niche market has sprung up: “Synthetic Data Platform Mostly AI Lands $25M.”
Mostly AI is an Austria startup that specializes in synthetic data for AI model testing and training. The company recently acquired $25 million in funding from Molten Ventures with plans to invest the funds to accelerate the industry. Mostly AI plans to hire more employees, create unbiased algorithms, and increase their presence in Europe and North America.
It is difficult for AI developers to roundup comprehensive datasets, because of privacy concerns. There is tons of data available for AI got learn from, but it might not be anonymous and it could be biased from the get go.
Mostly AI simulates real datasets by replicating the information for data value chains but removing the personal data points. The synthetic data is described as “good as the real thing” without violating privacy laws. The synthetic data algorithm works like other algorithms:
“The solution works by leveraging a state-of-the-art generative deep neural network with an in-built privacy mechanism. It learns valuable statistical patterns, structures, and variations from the original data and recreates these patterns using a population of fictional characters to give out a synthetic copy that is privacy compliant, de-biased, and just as useful as the original dataset – reflecting behaviors and patterns with up to 99% accuracy.”
Mostly AI states that their platform also accelerates the time it takes to access the datasets. They claim their technology reduces the wait time by 90%.
Demands for synthetic data are growing as the AI industry burgeons and there is a need for information to advance the technology. Efficient, acceptable error rates, objective methods: What could go wrong?
Whitney Grace, January 27, 2022
Amazon Responds to Chinese Methods
January 28, 2022
If you live in a reasonably free society, it is easy to laugh at authoritarian governments like China. However, a little research into human rights violations, nuclear warheads, and President Xi Jinping’s lack of humor validates the claim that you do not fool around with a Chinese Mother Nature. Because China is home to Earth’s second largest economy, businesses like Amazon, Apple, Disney, and Google are eager to sell goods and services to the Middle Kingdom. This means, however, that these businesses must throw away their western ethics in favor of authoritarian and communist rules.
Daring Fireball investigates how Jeff Bezos’s Amazon caved to the Chinese government: “Reuters: Amazon Kowtowed To PRC And Removed All Reviews of Xi Jinping’s Book In China.” President Xi Jinping published a book collecting his speeches and writings. Many Chinese leaders publish their writings, following the wake of the late Chairman Mao Zedong’s Little Red Book.
Emboldened by the Internet and modern politics, Chinese people left less than stellar reviews of Xi’s book on Amazon’s Chinese platform. Xi did not like that and told Amazon to disable the review option. Because China is a gold mine, Amazon kowtowed and:
“A negative review of Xi’s book prompted the demand, one of the people said. ‘I think the issue was anything under five stars,’ the highest rating in Amazon’s five-point system, said the other person. Ratings and reviews are a crucial part of Amazon’s e-commerce business, a major way of engaging shoppers. But Amazon complied, the two people said. Currently, on its Chinese site Amazon.cn, the government-published book has no customer reviews or any ratings. And the comments section is disabled.”
Daring Fireball’s writer John Gruber showed his satirical side when he wrote that he did not understand why people had such poor opinions of Xi’s book. Gruber linked to the Amazon sales page of A.A. Milne’s Winnie the Pooh. Xi’s physical appearance was compared to Pooh Bear’s and the president banned the beloved character’s facade.
Whitney Grace January 28, 2022
PR Professionals: Unethical?
January 28, 2022
Public relations campaigns shape the public’s perception. PR experts can flip a situation to make it negative or positive based on the desired outcome. Entrepreneur discussed how public relations campaigns challenge societal ethics and give a new meaning to Orwell’s doublethink: “Public Relations Bring Ethics Under The Spotlight.” PR experts have been accused for decades for shaping reality and the past few years have exploded with fake blogging, fake grassroots lobbying, and stealth marketing.
These nefarious PR tactics are only the tip of the iceberg, because controlling reality goes further with training spokespeople to remain silent in media interviews, monitoring their social media channels, and backtracking when necessitated. This goes against what the true purpose of PR:
“Monitoring and criticism from outside and inside the public relations industry keep a watch on the vast industry that public relations has become. This, in turn, makes practitioners and the industry responsive to what constitutes appropriate conduct. Ethical public relations should not aim merely to confuse or cause equivocation but should inform and honestly influence judgment based on good reasons that advance the community. A necessary precondition of professionalism is ethically defensible behavior. Such a framework derives from philosophical and religious attitudes to behavior and ethics, laws and regulations, corporate and industry codes of conduct, public relations association codes of ethics, professional values and ethics, training and personal integrity.”
Keeping ethics in the in PR practice appears to be a thing of the past, especially with the actions of many world governments before and after the COVID-19 pandemic hit.
There are three fundamental ethical practices: teleology, deontology, and Aristotle’s Golden Mean. Immanuel Kant is the founder of modern ethics and he developed a three step method to solve ethical dilemmas:
“1. When in doubt as to whether an act is moral or not, apply the categorical imperative, which is to ask the question: “What if everyone did this deed?”
2. Always treat all people as ends in themselves and never exploit other humans.
3. Always respect the dignity of human beings.”
PR experts are subject to the same demands as everyone else: they must make a living in order to survive. Unlike the average retail or office worker, they have skills that changes the public perception of an event, organization, or individual. PR experts usually respond to the demands of their clients, because the client is paying the bills. Saying no. Maybe not too popular at some firms?
Whitney Grace January 28, 2022
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