It seems like Microsoft is going to pull all the stops to make the Activision Blizzard acquisition happen. This time, they have been spotted with a new ad that basically talks about the company’s stance in pro of worker unions. This ad was made with the endorsement of the Communications Workers of America union.
The ad appeared in The Washington Post first, and it talks about Microsoft’s commitment to bringing recognition to laborer unions. The company also recognized the Zenimax Media union and its current stance regarding the CWA neutrality agreement. Here’s the ad/statement in full:
The last paragraph is probably the most noteworthy one as it makes an appeal to the FTC to explore solutions to protect “competition and consumers while also promoting the needs of workers, economic growth, and American innovation.” Almost as if this was a response to the lawsuit that was filed against them by the government body just a month ago.
It’s even more noteworthy when we take into account Microsoft’s recent actions. Like, for example, the recent retraction of its statement regarding the legality behind the lawsuit. As quoted by Microsoft spokesperson David Cuddy:
The FTC has an important mission to protect competition and consumers, and we quickly updated our response to omit language suggesting otherwise based on the constitution. We initially put all potential arguments on the table internally and should have dropped these defenses before we filed. We appreciated feedback about these defenses and are engaging directly with those who expressed concerns to make our position clear.
As for why the ad is shown in The Washington Post? Well, PC Gamer already has an answer. The FTC is based in Washington, DC, the Post’s hometown. Buying ads to get exposure to regulatory and government employees in the city is a pretty common tactic among government contractors. As such, you can very easily realize the primary target behind this ad.
