Microsoft | Good News For Humankind

Microsoft signs another reforestation-based carbon removal megadeal

Peter Schulte / May 13, 2024

Microsoft and nature-based climate solutions startup re.green have announced one of the largest-ever carbon removal agreements, with Microsoft purchasing 3 million tons of carbon removal credits over a 15-year period, generated through re.green’s reforestation projects in Brazil. The deal marks the second large-scale Brazil reforestation-focused carbon removal agreement for Microsoft, following a 1.5 million ton offtake deal with Brazil-based Mombak in December 2023, forming part of the tech giant’s initiative to become carbon negative by 2030.

Microsoft places massive 12GW solar module order, bolstering U.S. solar supply chain

Peter Schulte / January 10, 2024

Building on a previously announced 2.5GW module supply agreement signed in January 2023, Qcells will supply Microsoft with 12GW of solar modules over an 8-year period. Equivalent to powering more than 1.8 million homes annually, the solar modules will be produced in the United States at a fully integrated solar supply chain factory in Cartersville, Georgia.

Google, Microsoft, OpenAI, and Anthropic form body to regulate AI development

Peter Schulte / July 26, 2023

The Frontier Model Forum will focus on the “safe and responsible” development of frontier AI models, referring to AI technology even more advanced than the examples available currently.

Helion announces world’s first fusion energy purchase agreement with Microsoft

Peter Schulte / May 17, 2023

The landmark clean energy facility is expected to be online by 2028, significantly sooner than typical projections for deployment of commercial fusion power.

Microsoft to begin disclosing salaries, drops non-compete clauses

Peter Schulte / June 17, 2022

The new salary disclosure policy makes Microsoft the first “Big Tech” company to take this approach.

Historic Microsoft agreement allow customers to more easily repair devices

Peter Schulte / October 15, 2021

The move is being described as a “first of its kind victory,” as Microsoft becomes the only major company to bow to the whims of a shareholder resolution regarding the “right-to-repair.”

IBM, Amazon, and Microsoft stop selling facial recognition software to police

Peter Schulte / June 12, 2020

Advocacy groups like the ACLU have long raised significant privacy concerns regarding facial recognition. Researchers like Joy Buolamwini, Timnit Gebru, and Deborah Raji have demonstrated that these technologies can come with built-in racial and gender biases.

Microsoft pledges to be carbon negative by 2030

Peter Schulte / January 17, 2020

By 2030, Microsoft will be carbon negative. By 2050, they will remove from the environment all the carbon the company has emitted either directly or by electrical consumption since it was founded in 1975.

Microsoft Japan’s 4-day workweek experiment sees productivity jump 40%

Peter Schulte / November 4, 2019

The tech giant recorded an almost 40% jump in productivity levels after cutting its work hours as part of a wider project to promote healthier work-life balance.

Microsoft pledges $500 million for affordable housing in Seattle area

Peter Schulte / January 17, 2019

Microsoft’s money represents the most ambitious effort by a tech company to directly address the inequality that has spread in areas where the industry is concentrated. It will fund construction for homes affordable not only to the company’s own non-tech workers, but also for teachers, firefighters, and other middle- and low-income residents.