91.3.2. Paul Maritz also explained to Intel representatives that Microsoft's response to the browser threat was to "embrace, extend, extinguish"; in other words, Microsoft planned to "embrace" existing Internet standards, "extend" them in incompatible ways, and thereby "extinguish" competitors.
McGeady testified that Maritz told Intel that Microsoft's strategy was to "embrace, extend, extinguish." McGeady, 11/9/98pm, at 53:17 - 54:8; McGeady, 11/10/98 am, at 21:22 - 23:19; GX 564.
McGeady testified that Microsoft was going to take Internet standards, like HTML, "and extend it to the point where it was incompatible with the Netscape browser and encourage people to develop to their version of HTML so that pages couldn't be read with Netscape's browser." McGeady, 11/9/98pm, at 55:7-14.
Russell Barck, an Intel executive, testified at his deposition that "in relation to Netscape, . . . Maritz . . . said the term 'embrace and smother' with respect to a strategy with respect to Netscape." Maritz, 1/26/99 am, 55:19 - 57:1.
Rob Sullivan testified at his deposition that Maritz said the phrase "embrace and smother." Maritz, 1/26/9am, 57:2-11. When asked about his understanding of the meaning of the embrace and smother concept, Sullivan testified that he "understood that concept to mean that Microsoft intended to deprive Netscape of revenue and viability." Microsoft would achieve this "by giving away their products, by embracing the Internet standards and extending them in a way that favored the Windows platform." Maritz, 1/26/99am, 58:16 - 59:8.
This is a 25 year old example of it being used externally by a Microsoft executive. This is not the same thing as the belief where every Microsoft team is locally applying this strategy.