Microshafted: The Anatomy of Collusion Among Microsoft, Government Officials, and a Corrupt Federal

The truth never stays hidden forever. In 2004, four Microsoft employees were accused of stealing $32.4 million in software, supposedly because they had discovered an internal programming flaw that allowed them to manipulate and conceal orders without anyone knowing. The four were federally prosecuted, which made international headlines, and all were sent to prison. End of story, right? If the accusations had been true, it would have been the end of the story. One of the defendants maintained his innocence throughout the prosecution, claiming the government confiscated exonerating evidence and then colluded with Microsoft to conceal that evidence from the court and media. It turns out he was right, and now the second side of a two-sided story is being revealed, with supporting evidence included. Microshafted proves the defendants were coerced to plead guilty to crimes that could not have been committed. The government knowingly prosecuted and imprisoned innocent people for reasons this book exposes. Investigative journalist John Anderson also reveals internal company emails, Microsoft internal spreadsheet data showing the true cost of its software, a secret government letter, a mind-blowing favor from the prosecutor that allowed a friend of a friend to keep $425,000 in what the government considered laundered money, and much more. For Microsoft, a company that pathologically lies even when the truth would serve it better, this book has the potential to send high-level executives to prison, along with certain government officials. For the reputations and lives Microsoft has ruined since the company's founding, such an outcome would almost be worth the price paid by its victims.