Year in review: New online safety resources created, 2017 brings focus on digital civility

- Jacqueline Beauchere - Microsoft Chief Online Safety Officer

I recently attended the Family Online Safety Institute’s annual conference in Washington, D.C., where the event theme – “Online Safety in Transition” – prompted me to reflect on my work in online safety and how it has evolved. Looking back on 2016, the online safety landscape has indeed shifted and we at Microsoft will continue to focus on the issue in 2017. When I began working in online safety some Read more »

Expanding partnerships and transparency on human rights

- Steve Crown - Vice President & Deputy General Counsel
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As our society becomes increasingly interconnected, it is more critical than ever that we foster a strong relationship between business and the protection of human rights. With that in mind, and in honor of Human Rights Day tomorrow, I am pleased to announce an exciting new partnership with UC Berkeley to further embed human rights in business education, as well as share a positive step forward in Microsoft’s own commitment Read more »

European Commission clears Microsoft’s acquisition of LinkedIn; deal to close in coming days

- Microsoft Corporate Blogs

The European Commission announced Tuesday in Brussels that it has cleared Microsoft’s acquisition of LinkedIn. Microsoft has now obtained all the regulatory approvals needed to complete the acquisition, and the deal will close in the coming days. Tuesday’s clearance follows similar reviews and approvals in the United States, Canada, Brazil and South Africa. As part of discussions with the European Commission, Microsoft formalized several commitments regarding its support for third-party Read more »

Computer Science Education Week: An opportunity to bring 21st century skills to everyone

- Mary Snapp - Corporate Vice President and Head of Microsoft Philanthropies
Two girls in Microsoft Store in New Jersey participating in the Minecraft Hour of Code tutorial.

Today marks the beginning of Computer Science Education Week (CSEdWeek). This annual initiative mobilizes educators, parents, nonprofits and the industry to inspire all young people to learn computer science and open the door to a promising future. Why does computer science education matter? Right now, fewer than 3 percent of all bachelor’s degrees awarded in the United States are in the field of computer science. Yet, computer programming jobs are Read more »

Highlights from Microsoft’s annual shareholders meeting

- John Seethoff - Vice President, Deputy General Counsel and Corporate Secretary

I want to thank Microsoft’s shareholders who attended or voted at this year’s Annual Shareholders Meeting. Microsoft shareholders: Re-elected all 11 directors to serve until the next annual meeting of shareholders. All director nominees received a vote of 99 percent of votes cast. Approved, on a nonbinding advisory basis, the fiscal year 2016 compensation of the company’s named executive officers. The advisory measure received 96 percent of votes cast. Ratified Read more »

An opportunity for small businesses expanding affordable internet access: Grant applications open now

- Paul Garnett - Director, Affordable Access Initiatives
Phot of man outdoors installing micro-grid technology on one of Uganda’s Ssese Islands.

This post originally appeared on NextBillion.net. New Sun Road is literally lighting up Uganda’s economy. The small business, supported with a grant from Microsoft’s Affordable Access Initiative, provides a critical service, creates jobs and is the kind of enterprise we aim to support with a second round of grants for innovators around the world. Initially conceived at UC Berkeley, New Sun Road designed, built and operated the first 24/7 metered Read more »

ABA Resolution 113: Creating a legal profession that reflects the public it serves

- Brad Smith - President and Chief Legal Officer
Gender and ethnic diversity in an office

Since the United States was founded, the diversity of our nation has continuously grown, a trend that will accelerate in coming years. Unfortunately, the diversity of the legal profession has failed to match this growth. This is why Microsoft has joined legal departments and law firms from across the country to support the American Bar Association (ABA) Resolution 113 and its mission to create a legal profession that better reflects Read more »

Teaching kids computer science: no computer required

- Microsoft Corporate Blogs
Six girls outside a classroom learning computer science by using CS Unplugged

Every young person should have the opportunity to learn computer science skills and, by extension, gain a better understanding of how the technology works, since it will impact so many aspects of their lives. A grant announced today will help more youth get that opportunity. Computational thinking is described by Jeannette M. Wing, corporate vice president at Microsoft Research, as the thought processes involved in formulating a problem and expressing Read more »

With our latest energy deal, Microsoft’s Cheyenne datacenter will now be powered entirely by wind energy, keeping us on course to build a greener, more responsible cloud

- Brad Smith - President and Chief Legal Officer

Our lives, our cities and our world are rapidly transforming with the rise of cloud technology. And as the adoption of the cloud accelerates, so does the electrical consumption of the datacenters that fuel this new era. At Microsoft, we recognize that our responsibilities as a leading cloud services provider require that we transform the way we power the cloud. That’s why we are announcing our largest wind energy purchases Read more »

Microsoft’s revamped Law Firm Diversity Program brings significant gains in diverse leadership

- David Howard - Corporate Vice President & Deputy General Counsel, Litigation, Competition Law and Compliance
law firm diversity

A year ago, Microsoft announced a significant change to our Law Firm Diversity Program (LFDP), which now focuses on increasing diversity among the partner and leadership ranks of the law firms in our premier provider network, and provides financial incentives to those firms who show improvement in these areas.  We are pleased to report significant progress by all our firms, and we especially want to recognize our top performers – Read more »

Online risks have real-world consequences, new Microsoft research shows

- Jacqueline Beauchere - Microsoft Chief Online Safety Officer

Most people have had at least one negative online experience that resulted in real-world consequences, including a loss of trust in others, increased stress or sleep deprivation, preliminary results of a new Microsoft survey show. Nearly two-thirds (65 percent) of those polled said they had fallen victim at some point to at least one of 17 different online risks. That figure grows to 78 percent when respondents also considered the Read more »