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D i l e
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y

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Micr o nnor P
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 Overview

Pat Seth Connor Ben

● The Principles Applied ● Background of ● Background of Common ● Financials of

● Background of Human Communitarianism Good
Microsoft
Rights related to ● Just War Theory ● Common Good applied ● Financial
Microsoft & the DoD ● Communitarianism to Microsoft’s Military
implications of the
● Human Dignity Applied applied to Google’s Dilemma
JEDI contract
to Microsoft’s Military Military Dilemma ● Actions Microsoft
Dilemma ● Synthesis and resolution should take relating to
the Contract
Case Background

● Department of Defense awards $10B JEDI contract to Microsoft

○ Gives Microsoft cloud computing rights, allowing them (in
conjunction with JEDI) to supply a new era of technology to the
US government.
● Microsoft was awarded the contract after beating out Amazon,
Oracle, Google, IBM, and more in a controversial decision.
● Contract has yet to go into effect due to backlash and numerous
lawsuits regarding the government’s choice of Microsoft.
The Principles Human Rights
of Catholic
Social
Teaching
Common Good

Human
Communitarianism Dignity
Background of
Human Rights

Human rights give shape and

substance to the idea of human
dignity. An action/policy is morally
correct if it respects the natural
rights of human beings.
Human Rights & Microsoft’s
Dilemma

Right to Will employees face backlash?

freedom of
expression,
“To refuse to take part in committing an
education, injustice is not only a moral duty; it is also
and culture a basic human right.” - St. John Paul II

Right to
freedom of Is involvement with the government
thought conflict with Microsoft employee’s
and freedom of thought?
conscience
What is Microsoft’s Is Microsoft equally
role (on employee’s responsible for any death

and the world)? Human caused by the military?

Dignity and
Microsoft’s
Dilemma
Infringes on
Is the government
employee’s personal
acting ethically?
ethics
Background of
Communitarianism
Duty to
Respect
“We exist for the purpose of entering
Human
into the experience of Dignity
loving communion with others”

Duty to
“Human dignity can be realized and Defend
protected only in community.” Community
 * *
Last Resort Just means

Syria & Just Justified

Yemen End
War
Civil War Proportional
Force
 Terror
Just War Proportionality Attack
Principles
30 Years
Discrimination
17,000
Civilian
Responsibility Casualties
Support of
Civil War
Peace
 Yemen (Contd.)
Worst humanitarian crisis in
the world
- United Nations

24 million people
– about 80% of the population – need
assistance and protection

20 million people across the

country are food insecure
Communitarianism
And
Microsoft

Designing AI for Military

Software to Inform Military Decisions

Technological Warfare - Unjust Means

 Solidarity

Common
Good
Subsidiarity

“Social, economic, and political conditions should allow for entire communities and all
those persons within them to develop and flourish as fully as possible.”
 Common Good Applied to the JEDI Contract
JEDI Contract
● Microsoft is now somewhat
responsible for all the safety
of the citizens of the country
● This contract gives them the
power to make sure the
government is making moral
decisions and keeping the
country safe
Microsoft’s Actions
● Needs to follow the principles
of Catholic Social Teaching
● Have to monitor DOD’s
decisions and make sure they
are for the good of the
country
● Eliminate corruption that
hurts U.S citizens
 Three main segments of income

More Personal Computing

38.3% of total revenue

Financial background
of Microsoft Productivity and business processes

32.5% of total revenue

Intelligent Cloud

29.2% of total revenue

 Microsoft’s Approximate Annual
Revenue

$125B

Department of Defense FY 2020 Budget

Financial
Implications of
Microsoft’s Decision $718B

JEDI Contract

$10B
 Expose the
immorality of
Resolution the contract

Focus instead
on fostering
community

Don’t push the

employees to
produce a
product with
which they are
uncomfortable
 Disregarded
the common
Synthesis good

Aided in the
degradation
of world-wide
community
Imposed
morally
questionable
actions and
control on
employees
https://www.iep.utm.edu/justwar/
https://www.commondreams.org/vie
ws/2019/09/27/bestselling-pentagon
-fiction-beware-defense-secretaries-
pledging-reform
https://www.businessinsider.com/go
ogle-drops-out-of-10-billion-jedi-co
ntract-bid-2018-10
https://www.microsoft.com/investor/
reports/ar19/index.html

Sources
https://news.un.org/en/s
https://apnews.com/b7f039269a394 tory/2019/02/1032811
b7aa2b46430e3d9b6bc

https://www.cnbc.com/amp/2019/11
/04/microsoft-ceo-nadella-stands-by https://www.nytimes.co
-jedi-contract-win.html m/2019/10/25/technolo
gy/dod-jedi-contract.html