Microsoft suspends contributions for the rest of the 2022 election cycle to all members of Congress who voted to object to the presidential election results
Microsoft announced Friday it will suspend contributions for the rest of the 2022 election cycle to all members of Congress who voted …
Members of Congress covered by the policy lose access to Microsoft PAC contributions for the remainder of the 2022 election cycle.
Microsoft replaces an open-ended review with a defined donor-screening rule tied to lawmakers' certification votes.
Second-order effects
Google's matching restriction makes the objection vote a shared exclusion criterion for two major technology-company PACs, rather than a Microsoft-only stance.
If other corporate PACs adopt vote-based exclusions, political giving shifts from routine access-building toward explicit standards for lawmakers' conduct on electoral certification.
The differing Microsoft, Google, and Facebook policies point to a more fragmented corporate-political-spending landscape, with companies setting distinct thresholds and durations rather than following one industry rule.
The trend: Large technology companies are making political contributions more conditional on elected officials' actions around election certification.
Here are key changes to Microsoft's PAC following listening sessions w/ employees. We will suspend donations for the 2022 election cycle for elected officials and organizations who supported the election being overturned https://blogs.microsoft.com/ ...
The full blog post from @Microsoft re their PAC — a good read and why it is important to have listening sessions from your employees whose money is funding the PAC. https://blogs.microsoft.com/ ...
Microsoft is not the first, but take note — this is the right way forward. Every member of Congress who contributed to the rhetoric that inspired the insurrection on the Capitol must be held to account. https://blogs.microsoft.com/ ...
7. Companies still on an indefinite “pause,” without saying their intentions about the 147 members of Congress that voted to overturn the election results, include: @bostonsci @CapitalOne @McDonalds @UnitedHealthGrp @Facebook @Clorox https://popular.info/...
This is a great example of not just Corporate leadership but of civic leadership. This is precisely how a great American company should act in the face of threats to democracy. It is morally unambiguous and commits Microsoft to the strengthening of American democracy as a https:/…
Great first step, but still more we can do. We know MSFT can be a slow ship to turn, but I'm happy that employees are being listened to and change is starting. https://twitter.com/...
Baby steps in the right direction. IMO some of the changes are toothless or don't go far enough, but I don't see anything here that moves us truly backward. Let's take this minor victory while continuing to push for longer-term, more impactful changes. https://twitter.com/...
This is a really promising announcement from @Microsoft. Not only are they ceasing contributions to anyone who objected to certifying electors, but they'll be donating to organizations focused on voting rights, campaign finance reform, and transparency. https://blogs.microsoft.co…