They belong to Microsoft Research not DevDiv, so while that doesn't protect them from layoffs, certainly gives them some protection being under different management.
Microsoft Research sites tend to be based in collaborations with university research labs.
Would be helpful to know why you think this. Even if there are common reasons that others could point to (and please don't; it won't be helpful), your comment doesn't make any sense without that context.
It's a large corporation. I'm certain someone asked that question and got an answer before starting producing Python tools. It's management's job to ask that question and get answers, you know.
Anthropomorphising a corporation is fanciful. A manipulative writing technique given that it appears you're hallucinating an emotional state that you have no way to know!
> have taken on a state in court
You are suggesting Microsoft should get involved politically? That would also condone that they should get involved in subjects you wouldn't support.
Trying to fix symptoms is a losing battle: the cause needs fixing.
MS is a group of people, led by people and people have emotions. Corporation is a legal abstraction/concept through which states views MS, for legal purposes and whatever. I don't have to, I can view it for what it is. An organized group of people doing stuff for both money and other reasons.
Saying "MS does something" is a shortcut for "decision makers at MS doing something".
I'm not suggesting anything other than that MS are boycot-worthy for their past decisions and actions, incl. recent ones. I'm not interested in "fixing" MS, it's much easier just to try to avoid it and its products.
Yes, I don't know for sure whether this particular decision was done happily by someone in MS. It doesn't matter much, either in the end.
