[njudah]

This thread is a useful reminder to US citizens that if you haven’t registered to vote, its a great idea to do so. The margins of victory in 2016 were small enough (in swing states) that a mobilized hackernews community could have made the difference.

[kickopotomus]

This move has little to do with the current political climate and is more so associated with risk reduction from Microsoft as technology and regulations regarding technology (see Facebook) are coming into focus.

All companies that do business with the US are required to abide by the Export Administration Regulations (EAR)[1] which prohibits exports (unless explicitly exempt) to sanctioned countries. The US has had sanctions on Iran since 1987[2].

This move would have likely happened regardless of who is in the White House.

[1]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Export_Administration_Regulati...

[2]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_sanctions