[gavinray]

Seems like the only sensible comment in this thread so far.

Here's what I imagine it's like working on the Copilot team:

  > Mgmt: "We need this feature, and we need in 2 weeks."
  > Devs: "That feature is not technically possible."
  > Mgmt: "Well, figure out a way to make it possible. That's _your_ problem."

[MadnessASAP]

That is exactly the sort of management that has landed many a company in hot mater before, including Microsoft.

Whether the managers remain ignorant by malice of incompetence is irrelevant. Directing your subordinate to do something that they should reasonably know would break the law or be anticompetitive is still illegal.

The see no evil defense is a piss poor defense that is more likely going to be used to show you knew exactly what was going on.

[foldr]

There isn't the remotest chance that any of this is anticompetitive in a legal sense. Microsoft doesn't have anything close to a monopoly on dev tooling or text editors.

[Sakos]

This doesn't fly when you're a company the size of Microsoft with the kind of influence and power they have. You can't just ignore the possibility or effects of engaging in anti-competitive behavior simply because it's convenient for you. That's not how it works.

It's not sensible at all.

[solardev]

Why not? They're survived for decades just shrugging off the law and paying off whatever minor fine there is years later. They started that model, now embraced by everyone from Google to Apple to Uber. Build it fast, get rich, worry about legality later.

[milkytron]

Sounds like when Slack started taking marketshare from Skype for Business and they pushed out Teams as fast as possible.

[immibis]

Government: "We fine you two zillion dollars. You should have listened to the dev."

[486sx33]

Microsoft: we’ve just committed to an investment of two zillion dollars in co-pilot! Microsoft to investors: don’t worry, you’ll get two zillion dollars of “value” launching next week , AND we won’t have to pay the bill for years! There’s even a chance our lawyers will win, and we will never have to pay! Microsoft to devs: sorry, we spent two zillion on product so your profit sharing is going to take a bit hit. Thanks for your hard work!

[rcarmo]

The few people I know in the Copilot team(s) (not necessarily VS Code) are laser focused on prioritizing features based on customer demand, not top-down guidance :)

[LudwigNagasena]

Who decides what customer demands? Is it a free for all environment where people just push whatever they want into the trunk?