Apple vs Microsoft
JCC
BACKGROUND
GUIDE
UNCMUNC VIII
Nov 18-20, 2016
Letter from the Chair
Executives,
My name is Ryan Bullard and I will be the Chair for the Microsoft portion of the Apple vs.
Microsoft JCC. I’m a senior Public Policy and Political Science double major at UNC, minoring in
Politics, Philosophy, and Economics. I’m very excited to meet all of you at UNCMUNC this year!
I fully expect our Executive Board to lead Microsoft to dominate the technology markets of
2050 and regain Microsoft’s rightful place as the leader in American personal computing. Our Board
is comprised of accomplished individuals with a range of qualifications and personal connections,
and when we work together as a team, Apple will not stand a chance against our combined potential.
The big questions facing our company will concern ethical labor practices and the availabili-
ty of cost-effective labor in the United States, the pressure to stay ahead of the innovation curve and
provide new products that consumers want, and the ethics of ever-evolving artificial intelligence and
its potential capabilities. These issues are discussed in more detail later in the background guide.
As chair, I simply expect a functional level of comprehension on the subjects pertinent to our
committee and engagement from everyone on the Board. Most importantly, I want our committee to
be fun for everyone and for everyone to be creative in their approach to issues and crises.
If you have any questions about our committee or about Model UN in general, do not hesitate
to contact me or Una, our Crisis Director.
Best,
Ryan Bullard
Chair, Microsoft Executive Board
[email protected]
UNCMUNC VIII
Letter from the Chair
Dear Esteemed Delegates:
Hello! My name is Sreya Atluri, and I’m extremely honored to have the pleasure of chairing
the Apple committee for the Apple vs. Microsoft JCC for UNCMUNC 2016!
First of all, congratulations on choosing the Apple vs. Microsoft JCC, and more specifically
Apple, for the conference - it will assuredly be a fantastic experience for all. I am anticipating the
high quality of debate and negotiation skills, and look forward to meeting you all as delegates.
This committee is set in 2050, and as delegates, you all have the opportunity to discuss grip-
ping, thought-provoking issues ranging from innovative advances in technology to cybersecurity
issues to out-of-date business models, and as the Board of Directors, truly have a lasting impact on
the future of Apple. These issues are very real concerns, and together, you have the power to make a
difference for the company, the consumer, and the industry.
A little bit more about me: I’m a sophomore majoring in Business Administration and Eco-
nomics, with a minor in Entrepreneurship! I’ve been involved with the Carolina International Relations Association since my freshman year through Travel Team, UNCMUNC, and MUNCH (our
high school conference). This will be my 6th year of involvement with Model UN.
Outside of CIRA, I run a non-profit (Creating Awareness in Research and Education), and am
involved with leadership in Student Government, numerous Kenan-Flagler Business School organizations, the American Mock World Health Organization, entrepreneurship initiatives, community
service, and business and STEM conferences. I also enjoy spending time with family and friends,
dancing Kathak (a traditional Indian dance), singing, and reading.
If you have any questions or concerns about this committee or UNCMUNC in general, please
do not hesitate to reach out to me. I greatly look forward to meeting you all at the conference!
Best Regards,
Sreya Atluri
(571) 216-9256
[email protected]
2
Delegates,
Letter from the CD
My name is Una Dabiero and I am so excited to be your Crisis Director for Apple vs. Microsoft
JCC! I am a junior majoring in Peace, War and Defense and New Media Communications. I enjoy
witty personalities, sugar in my coffee, trap rap and pretending I speak Arabic.
This is my third year working with UNCMUNC and I had the pleasure of acting as Director
General last year, overseeing much of the behind the scenes work on all of Carolina’s crisis committees. I can’t wait to take what I learned and apply it to our committee.
Apple vs. Microsoft is sure to be a whirlwind of a committee. I cannot wait to work with Sreya
and Ryan not only because they are both highly qualified chairs, but because first and foremost, we
all value creativity and teamwork.
Each crisis I present will be tailored to stretch your creativity and your ability to meld ideas
with those around you. We will be presenting special crises called ‘Timed Challenges’ at least once a
committee session that will require you to quickly develop a new product for your companies based
on a series of resources.
My largest goal of this conference is to ensure that each one of you has a great time. I am
incredibly open to feedback and urge you to contact Ryan, Sreya or I if you have any questions or
concerns about the Background Guide, the committee, or the weekend.
Best,
Una Dabiero
[email protected]
UNCMUNC VIII
Format of the Committee
Debate:
The Apple vs. Microsoft 2050 JCC will exist as a simulation of the executive boards of Apple,
Inc. and Microsoft Corporation and their interactions beginning in the year 2050. Basic parliamentary procedure will be observed, with points and motions taken by the chair to introduce various
caucuses and procedures. Quorum must be established before debate can begin. All delegates will
have an equal vote, and the agreement of a simple majority of committee members is necessary, but
not always sufficient, to accept a question before the committee. The chair reserves the right to unilaterally veto or refuse to consider superfluous or non-germane documents or motions.
Documents:
There are four submissible document types for this committee: directives, press releases, com-
muniqués, and personal directives, or crisis notes. Directives, press releases, and communiqués are
for consideration by the committee after they have received a qualifying number of signatures, the
specific requirement to be determined in committee based on the number of members present.
Directives allow the committee to carry out an official, concrete action. A good directive will
be concise, yet detailed, and its purpose should be evident. A productive crisis committee can pass
multiple directives during the course of a committee session, in contrast to a general assembly, which
may only pass one or two large directives for the entirety of a conference.
Press releases are statements made to media on behalf of the entire committee. When a press
release is given to the media, it is understood to mean that the entire committee has assumed the
views expressed in the press release.
Communiqués are official private correspondence on behalf of the committee to a person or
organization that exists within the simulation. For example, the Apple committee can send a communiqué to the Microsoft committee and vice versa, but the committees can also send communiqués
to other individuals and organizations plausibly or definitely existing within the simulation, such as
a government entity or another corporation.
4
Format of the Committee
Personal directives, or crisis notes, are secret, individual notes sent to the crisis room to exe-
cute a discrete action that falls within the portfolio powers of the committee member sending the
note. These actions do not require committee wide approval. When notes are reviewed by the crisis
staff, they may or may not be approved depending on a wide variety of potential circumstances. Like
committee wide directives, crisis notes should be concise, yet detailed, and most importantly, its objective or end-goal should be apparent.
Crisis:
The crisis staff for the Apple vs. Microsoft JCC value creativity and clarity. Remember that
a crisis note should not purport to inform the crisis staff of the state of affairs or to suggest possible
crises without first developing a substantial plan to execute the crisis with personal directives and the
potential support of committee-wide directives; the crisis staff is omniscient and omnipotent.
Think creatively about your character’s experiences and expertise when developing a crisis arc
to use over the course of the weekend. Please also remember to remain in character while writing
your crisis notes; address them to someone existing in the simulation that can help your character
pursue his or her interests, not to “Crisis.”
In return for quality crisis notes relevant to events in committee, the crisis team will attempt
to return all notes in a timely manner. Bear in mind that the crisis staff will be very busy throughout
the weekend in responding to the notes from both the Apple and Microsoft committees, and that
fatuous or trifling notes will likely receive curt or equally fatuous responses.
Awards:
Though the awards determinations primarily rest with the chair of each respective committee,
the opinions of the co-chair, crisis director, and crisis staff will be instrumental in deciding which
delegates have earned awards. Awards criteria is inherently subjective; it is not based on the number of directives a committee member has passed or the amount of time he or she spends speaking
during moderated caucuses. Ultimately, substantive contribution in addressing the issues facing
the committee, leadership and guidance of debate, creativity and continuity in the delegate’s crisis
arc over the course of the conference, an evident knowledge of the background guide and the issues
facing the future of technology companies, and enthusiasm for debate and the topic at hand are the
criteria which will be used to judge a delegate’s performance.
UNCMUNC VIII
Apple, INC.
Foundation to 2016
Apple was founded on April 1, 1976 by
Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak, and was incorporated in Cupertino, California on January 3, 1977.
Apple was initially founded to sell the Apple I
computer kit, but has spanned a breadth of innovations throughout its existence.
History
throughout this period of diversity.
Apple is characterized by its brand, which
is what makes its worth so powerful. Their philosophy behind product creation makes them
recognizable, with simple, clear designs; rich
engineering complements an unparalleled, user-friendly experience.
Since it’s advent, Apple has faced chal-
lenges in leadership. Steve Jobs had a fair num-
ber of issues with previous company CEOs,
The personal computer was the company’s which led to him leave Apple and found NeXT,
primary focus for a period of over three decades, Inc. After a period of turbulence in the company
but this focus expanded into new, modern, and
recognizable inventions such as the iPod, iTunes,
iPhone, and iPad in the 2000s. These innovations
propelled Apple to the forefront of the media
sales and consumer electronics industries.
Throughout Apple’s evolution, its growth
has been characterized by user compatibility
and convenience, such as the implementation of
a graphical user interface (GUI), a desktop publishing package, and advanced graphics capabilities.
history, Jobs came back in an advisory capacity
after Apple purchased NeXT. Jobs eventually
transitioned into the CEO position once again,
leading to a number of management strategy
shifts that have left a lasting impact on Apple
today. As of 2016, Tim Cook currently serves as
CEO, having taken over after Jobs passed away.
2016-2050
Apple continued to distinguish itself
through its prominent market share and brand
recognizability. The iPhone continued to domIn addition, the 2010’s brought about other inate the smartphone market throughout the
notable Apple products including the Apple
2020s. Meanwhile, the Apple Watch, the fifth
Watch and iCloud. Apple proudly held the po-
sition of the largest publicly traded corporation
worldwide as ranked by market capitalization
generation of which was released in 2038, became a staple of businesspeople after it integrated a holographic conference call feature.
6
However, the Apple Watch and iPhone
History
taneously projects apps selected on users’ smart-
came into di rect competition with Microsoft
phones, computers, or smartwatches.
versions of the smartphone and smartwatch after
Microsoft Corp.
Microsoft's merger with Google in 2036.
After this merger, sales of the iPhone
dropped about 10% by 2040. Additionally, the
Apple Watch was placed below the new Google
watch that integrated the Microsoft OneDrive
cloud system into a holographic “board room”
feature that allowed users to make presentations
from afar. As a result of high pressures, the CEO
of Apple stepped down in 2042 to be replaced
by Carrie Woods, a bright economic mind who
had also worked on product development for the
company.
Under Wood’s direction, the company
decided to expand by merging with SonY, a
multi-national conglzmerate with prominence in
the financial, entertainment, professional electronics, and gaming industries, in 2046.
This merger led to Apple venturing into
the gaming industry, with enormous success.
With a streamlined interface, high tech VR tech-
Foundation to 2016
Microsoft Corporation is the brainchild
of founders Bill Gates and Paul Allen, born from
their development of an early operating system for the Altair 8800, which was produced by
Micro Instrumentation and Telemetry Systems
(MITS). MITS agreed to purchase and distribute
Gates’ and Allen’s operating system, Altair BASIC, and in 1976 the partners created Microsoft,
a portmanteau of “micro-computer” and “software,” to sell their software products.
In 1979 the company moved from its orig-
inal headquarters in Albuquerque, New Mexico,
to Bellevue, Washington and, in 1981, the company restructured to become an incorporated
business in Washington state. At that time, Bill
Gates was made president and chairman of the
board of directors, and Paul Allen became execu-
nology involving sleek wireless motion detection, tive vice-president.
the ApplePlay dominated the market by 2050.
Throughout its history, Microsoft has
Apple has also considered potential ex-
pansion into the motion picture industry, with
experiments and testing in progress.
Additionally, Apple’s projection televi-
sions-- called AppleView-- dominated the television market by the late 2040s. The projector is
capsulized in a small, sleek black box and instan-
been an industry leader in developing consumer electronics, personal computers, and, most
prominently, computer software. Microsoft’s
most widespread software product, the Microsoft
Windows operating system family, has come to
dominate the market for personal computer operating systems since its release in 1985. By 2016,
UNCMUNC VIII
some version of Windows accounts for the OS
of roughly 88% of all computers in use, with the
most popular version, Windows 7, accounting for
History
uitous office software in the world.
2016-2050
Microsoft continued to face significant
nearly 50% of all personal computers.
hardship in competing with tech-giants Ap-
ple and Google in the 2020’s, continuing to fall
When the Windows OS was originally
developed, it was made to compete directly with
behind on the development of smartphones and
the Mac OS Graphical User Interface introduced
smartwatches. However, use of the Microsoft
by Apple, Inc. in 1984. Since then, Microsoft’s ef-
OneDrive was significantly increasing after a dra-
forts to compete directly with Apple and another
matic redevelopment and marketing push by VP
technology giant, Google, have been marked by
of Business Development Sylvia Penn, who was
little to no significant success. The Zune MP3
appointed in 2020. This streamlined cloud stor-
player was widely viewed as a failure in com-
age system only increased the use of Microsoft
parison to Apple’s iPod, and by the early 2010’s,
Office in offices across the world. The Xbox00,
Apple’s dominance of the smartphone market
the next generation Xbox featuring VR technol-
in the United States had been unmatched by
ogy, launched in 2025 allowing the company to
Microsoft’s efforts. Microsoft’s attempts to enter
nearly dominate the Video Game console mar-
the smartphone and tablet market have been
ket.
rebuked in the United States by Apple’s iOS and
in foreign markets by Google’s Android OS. In
2027 after 9 years with the company. In 2036, after
addition, Google Chrome had taken much of Mi-
the sudden death of Bill Gates, Penn and her
crosoft Internet Explorer’s share of web browser
board of directors elected to merge a portion of
Sylvia Penn became CEO of Microsoft in
usage, which peaked at 95% in 2002 and 2003 and their company with Google. Although Internet
had fallen to around 10% in 2015, according to
Explorer and Bing were finally halted and Goo-
StatCounter.
gle was given primary online hosting rights of
OneDrive and Microsoft Office, the merger drew
However, this does not mean that Mic-
rosoft had not been successful in other recent
major benefits for Microsoft. With the ability to
ventures. Microsoft’s Xbox competed heavily
develop smartphones running the Android in-
with Sony’s Playstation in the video game market, terface, Microsoft quickly grew as a smartphone
and Bing, Microsoft’s Internet search engine, was
competitor. Additionally, an Android interface
the second most trafficked search engine in the
for Microsoft smartwatches put it in almost di-
United States. In addition, Microsoft Office Suite,
rect competition with the Apple Watch by 2040.
a productivity software bundle, is the most ubiq-
Penn stepped down in 2040 following an
8
History
extramarital affair scandal with the CFO of the
company. At the time, Rory John Gates, son of
Bill Gates, stepped in as CEO at the age of 41.
While the company was seeing major success in
the early 2040s, competitors were fighting to pass
the new tech partnership.
By 2046, Sony was bought by Apple-- Mi-
crosoft’s primary contender in the Video Game
console market. With a streamlined interface,
high tech VR technology involving sleek wireless motion detection, the ApplePlay dominated
the market. While Microsoft tried to counter
with the creation of RealBox in 2049, a higher-performing sister of the Xbox, it failed to meet
expectations in its first year.
Additionally, Apple’s projection televi-
sions-- called AppleView-- dominated the television market by the late 2040s. The projector is
capsulized in a small, sleek black box and instantaneously projects apps selected on users’ smartphones, computers, or smartwatches.
UNCMUNC VIII
Current State of Affairs
American Labor
Instability
After years of reactionary conservatism
on Capitol Hill, the network of legislation set in
place to protect American employees in the manufacturing sector has been destroyed. The power
and efficacy of traditional trade unions has been
greatly curtailed by new national right-to-work
legislation which restricts the ability of unions to
collect mandatory dues or make political contributions. Additionally, Republican Congresses
have ignored calls to increase the minimum
wage since the second Clinton administration
increased it to $12.25 per hour in 2022. As a result, in the early 2040’s there was a considerable
deal of unrest by workers in the industrialized
Midwest concerning their right to unionize and
lobby for higher wages. The Midwest currently
has the largest concentration of manufacturing
laborers due to pre-existing infrastructure that
laid waiting when American production returned in a more technologically advanced form.
This return followed a series of bills that made
mass-production abroad prohibitively expensive;
Republican lawmakers offered significant tax
breaks for companies who returned production
operations to the United States. Both Microsoft
and Apple manufacture and assemble a large
percentage of their hardware products in the
Midwest. The largest percentage of Microsoft’s
manufacturing and assembly plants surround
Cleveland, OH and Pittsburgh, PA, while Apple
has taken home outside of Detroit, MI. However,
their centers of software development and executive function remain in out-of-touch Silicon
Valley and the Pacific Northwest.
Neck-Breaking
Product Development
and the “Looming
Plateau of Innovation”
By 2050, STEM fields encapsulate about
25% of the American economy. As a result, large
amounts of capital and time are invested in
technological development. Research funding in
STEM fields, and especially in computer science,
has exploded with sources ranging from Federal
programs to private donors, such as Microsoft,
Apple, and other giant tech companies. The
need to properly train upcoming professionals to
develop innovative products has put pressure on
10
Current State of Affiars
employers to spend copious amounts of mon-
of children and pets. The late 2030s and early
ey on internship training programs, university
2040s began the integration of prototype person-
partnerships, and degree to career pipelines.
al assistant robots into the workplace. Slowly,
Although funding for these types of programs
they are beginning to replace low-skill workers
has increased exponentially, creativity and prod-
in office buildings and industrial settings, due to
uct innovation for most companies has remained
their low cost relative to human labor and low
linear. Many theorists contribute this “looming
maintenance requirements. As a result, the fear
plateau of innovation” to rigid decision-making
and resentment of the growing assimilation of AI
processes in business that devalue truly revolu-
systems into the human world has led to ethical
tionary products for fear of investing in failure.
dilemmas regarding this sector of technology.
Microsoft and Apple have both fallen into this
precautionary outlook that limits changes to
both corporate structures and product development.
Ethics of Artificial Intelligence
Since the development of IBM’s Watson,
Artificial Intelligence has been a tempting investment for many technology giants. The true
integration of developed AI technology began
with the ubiquity of self-driving cars in the late
2020s. By the early 2030s, most middle class
households have their homes fully integrated
with AI systems that provide home security,
regulate climate and utility usage, self-monitor
for structural or superficial damages, predict and
prepare for weather and natural disasters, keep
personal calendars and schedules, tailor entertainment experiences, and monitor the behavior
UNCMUNC VIII
Apple, Inc. Positions
Isabella Smith, Senior
Vice President, Retail
and Online Stores
regards to content, such as Apple Music, iTunes,
ident of Retail and Online stores. She reports to
relationships they build.
Isabella Smith is Apple’s Senior Vice Pres-
CEO Mike Lawrence. Isabella oversees the operations and expansion of Apple’s retail and online
stores, which have been instrumental in facilitating the customer service experience that so
richly characterizes Apple. Hundreds of millions
of customers across borders enjoy the innovative
experiences that Apple implements in its stores
– ranging from one-on-one personal training to
the Genius bar to personal setup, making for a
distinctive customer impact.
Siri, Apple Pay, Maps, in addition to Apple’s
many productivity and creativity apps. Apple’s
customers are excited and interested in these online services and have high expectations, which
are consistently exceeded by Sam’s team and the
James Stuart, Senior
Vice President, Software Engineering
James Stuart is Apple’s Senior Vice President
of Software Engineering. He reports to CEO
Mike Lawrence. James oversees the continual development and refinement of iOS, OS X,
as well and Apple’s common operating system
engineering teams. The user interface, applicaSam Miller, Senior
tions, frameworks, and processes that distinguish
Vice President, Inter- Apple and lead to the impact of creativity and
net Software and Ser- innovation are all handled by James.
vices
Evan Brown, Chief
Sam Miller is Apple’s Senior Vice President
Design Officer
of Internet Software and Services. He reports to
CEO Mike Lawrence. Sam is responsible for the
Evan Brown is Apple’s Chief Design Officer.
features that make Apple an industry leader with He reports to CEO Mike Lawrence. The sleek
12
Apple, Inc. Positions
interface and design that has come to become
for numerous breakthrough products that have
synonymous with Apple is overseen by Evan.
made Apple world-famous, including the en-
Evan handles any new ideas and future initia-
gineering between the Mac, iPhone, iPad, and
tives, as well as the look, feel, and touch of Apple
iPod, with this engineering having long-lasting
hardware, packaging, user interface, and the
impacts for the respective industries, as well as
architecture of Apple’s stores and Apple Campus
continuing to set a path of ground-breaking suc-
2, heralding the success of a design team that is
cess.
said to be one of the world’s best and most inno-
Dan Jones, Senior
Vice President,
Worldwide Marketing
vative.
Eric Williams, Chief
Financial Officer
Eric Williams is Chief Financial Officer of
Apple. He reports to CEO Mike Lawrence.
Eric ensures that all finances are in line for
Apple’s operations, including overseeing financial planning and analysis, accounting, business
support, M&A, investor relations, treasury, tax,
and internal audit, ensuring that Apple’s assets
are appropriately valued and well-protected,
bringing his experience as a corporate controller
to the role.
Dan Jones is Apple’s Senior Vice President
of Marketing. He reports to CEO Mike Lawrence.
Dan brings a rich history of marketing and management experience, and has been able to ensure
that the marketing behind Apple products is
effective and truly connect with the customer.
He has led the company to success with the Mac,
been involved with the digital music experience
with iPod and iTunes, and contributed to the
reimagining of mobile products with the iPhone,
the App Store, and the iPad.
Austin Johnson,
Bradley Simmons, SeSenior Vice President, nior Vice President
Hardware Engineering and Strategic Advisor
Austin Johnson is Apple’s Senior Vice
President of Hardware Engineering. He reports
to CEO Mike Lawrence. Austin is responsible
Bradley Simmons is Apple’s Senior Vice
President and Strategic Advisor. He reports to
CEO Mike Lawrence. In his role, Ben serves as
UNCMUNC VIII
Apple, Inc. Positions
an advisor to the other members of the Execu-
service and support that Apple provides to work-
tive Team, bringing his rich experience across
ers and employees. He is also deeply involved
Apple’s many different divisions to lead to the
with the ongoing development of Apple Watch,
company to success through a focused, dynamic
in addition to his interest in ResearchKit, one of
perspective of Apple and the company’s future
Apple’s many initiatives in aiming to streamline
and growth. Ben also is instrumental during the
industries, specifically within the disciplines of
process of product launches.
medicine and health research.
John Anderson, Senior Laura Davis,
Vice President, Hard- Chief Legal Officer
Laura Davis is Apple’s Chief Legal Officer.
ware Technologies
She reports to CEO Mike Lawrence.
John Anderson is Apple’s Senior Vice
President of Hardware Technologies. He reports
to CEO Mike Lawrence. John is responsible for
the development and growth of one of the most
innovative and creative silicon and technology
engineering operations across the world. He
and his team have created breakthrough custom
hardware and silicon technologies, ranging from
sensors to batteries to application processors to
Laura is responsible for any and all of Apple’s
legal matters, ranging from litigation to global
security to corporate governance to intellectual
property to securities compliance to privacy. She
brings a deep background in law and corporate experience, which enables her to preserve
Apple’s assets and reputation while promoting
brand value.
display silicon to storage controllers to many other unique systems across Apple’s product line.
Greg Harris, Chief Operating Officer
Greg Harris is Apple’s Chief Operating
Officer. He reports to CEO Mike Lawrence.
Greg has had enormous oversight and responsibility over the social responsibility initiatives
that Apple cares deeply about, in addition to the
14
Microsoft Corp. Positions
Apollo Smith, EVP,
Gaming and Virtual
Reality
ing the Microsoft Fund and its subsidiaries. The
for Gaming and Virtual Reality is responsible for
fund’s assets total more than $30 billion.
The Microsoft Executive Vice President
the operation of Microsoft’s video game projects,
including the development, improvement, and
sales of XBOX products, as well as for managing
partnerships with video game development companies.
Apollo has worked in the virtual reality
sector for a number of years; after graduating
with a B.S. in computer science from MIT he
worked for the Valve Corporation in its Virtual
Reality department before taking a position at
the head of VR systems for Leap Motion in 2039.
In 2047, Apollo was named EVP for Gaming and
VR at Microsoft, where he has sought to expand
the boundaries of VR technology through the
XBOX and Microsoft’s massive resources.
Microsoft Fund was created through a consolidation of Microsoft and Alphabet’s previous
venture funds following the Microsoft-Google
merger in 2036, and though its financials are a
closely guarded secret, it is estimated that the
After earning her MBA at the Questrom
School of Business at Boston University, Genesis
was hired by Bain Capital, where she worked her
way up the corporate ladder until she was offered a position as a managing partner and chief
investment strategist at Openview Partners in
2028. Executives at Google noticed her impressive record at Open View, and in 2035 hired her
to be the chief investment strategist for Google
Ventures. Upon the Microsoft-Google merger in
2036, she led the effort to consolidate the venture
funds of the two companies and was given a position as assistant managing director for the Microsoft Fund. In 2049, she was pegged to succeed
the retiring head of the Microsoft Fund.
Genesis Martin, EVP,
Capital and Ventures
Bren Langley, EVP,
Marketing
for Capital and Ventures is in charge of manag-
for Marketing is responsible for directing brand
The Microsoft Executive Vice President
UNCMUNC VIII
The Microsoft Executive Vice President
Microsoft Corp. Positions
strategy, public relations, and communications
from the Judge Business School at the University
for the Microsoft Corporation. The scope of this
of Cambridge. She was hired by the Vitol Group
position covers marketing in all Microsoft de-
to manage international operations, and she
partments and ventures, including (but not lim-
traveled frequently between their offices in Lon-
ited to) gaming, personal computing, and smart
don, Geneva, Houston, and Singapore. She was
devices.
subsequently hired by Foxconn to oversee and
develop international accounts, and then pro-
Bren Langley earned his MBA at the
Kellogg School of Business at Northwestern
moted to director of Foxconn’s global procure-
University after spending 6 years working in
ment division. Rudd was one of the most highly
a senior-level business development position
touted candidates to head Microsoft Internation-
at Crowdtap, a crowd-sourced marketing and
al upon the retirement of the previous EVP-MI,
branding firm based in New York City. Upon
and at age 32, Rudd is one of the youngest and
graduation, he was hired as a senior marketing
most ambitious executives at Microsoft.
manager for digital media at Apple, until he was
offered a position as the director of digital marketing for Huawei Corporation. After working
12 years for Huawei in Shenzhen, Langley was
offered the EVP for Marketing position at Microsoft Corporation.
Stella Rudd, EVP, Microsoft International
The Executive Vice President for Mic-
rosoft International is in charge of cultivating,
maintaining, and developing global business
partnerships and ensuring that worldwide market penetration is maximized.
Granddaughter of former Australian
Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, Stella graduated
from the University of Melbourne before attaining a graduate degree in international business
Gustavus Medley, EVP,
Corporate Operations
and Strategy
The Microsoft Executive Vice President
for Corporate Operations and Strategy is responsible for leading the company’s cross-engineering and cross-business strategy, execution, and
planning initiatives as well as Microsoft IT and
daily operations.
Gustavus Medley was born in Sweden
to a Swedish father and an American mother
who worked at the US embassy in Stockholm.
Educated at Harvard, Medley was hired by the
Office of Corporate Resources at the Central
Intelligence Agency and was quickly promoted
to senior management positions in that office.
16
Microsoft Corp. Positions
The Agency funded Medley’s graduate level
the McKinsey hierarchy to achieve a Principal
education at the University of Maryland, where
position by age 29. She joined Alphabet, Inc. and
he earned a Master of Science in Administration,
managed corporate accounts before being pro-
a Master of Science in Accounting, and a Master
moted to a Senior Vice President and Indepen-
of Science in Management. He transferred to the
dent Director of Alphabet. During the merger,
Directorate of Science and Technology in 2037
she was offered a managing director position in
where he oversaw operations for that director-
charge of the Microsoft Cloud group. In 2040,
ate. In 2040, he was hired by Samsung to oversee
she accepted the EVP-CEG position.
operations in the North American market. In
Garen Ford, EVP, Human Resources
2046, he was hired by Microsoft to lead the final
integration of Microsoft and Google operations.
When that project was completed, he was promoted to EVP for Corporate Operations and
Strategy.
Cirrus Worthy, EVP,
Cloud and Enterprise
Group
The Executive Vice President for Mic-
rosoft Cloud and Microsoft Enterprise Group
is responsible for the development of business
relationships in order to sell Microsoft Cloud
services and office products to organizations of
all sizes and in all sectors. These divisions also
provide corporate consulting in the areas of information technology and tech integration.
Cirrus Worthy was hired as an associ-
ate by McKinsey and Company after earning
an MBA from the University of Pennsylvania’s
Wharton School. She advanced quickly through
The Microsoft Executive Vice President
for Human Resources is responsible for the recruitment of talented individuals for all branches
of Microsoft Corporation and for the long-term
hiring strategies of those branches. HR is also
responsible for the administration of employee
benefits and for ensuring compliance with all domestic and foreign employment regulations. In
addition, HR is in charge of directing a positive,
innovative culture among Microsoft employees.
Ford graduated from Dartmouth College
and the Farmer School of Business at Miami University (OH). She was hired by Microsoft after
graduation, and held a variety of roles, first working in the Microsoft Office Division, after which
she had a short stint in the corporate finance
division before moving to the human resources
department. In 2036, she was promoted to be
vice president of corporate procurement, and in
2038 she accepted an offer to become the EVP for
UNCMUNC VIII
Microsoft Corp. Positions
Human Resources.
Nova Brantley, Chief
Financial Officer
sachusetts and a fourth generation graduate of
The Chief Financial Officer is responsible
for leading Microsoft’s worldwide finance organization, including acquisitions, treasury activities, tax planning, accounting and reporting, and
internal audit and investor relations.
After earning an MBA in finance at Har-
vard, Nova Brantley was hired by the Government Accountability Office and was quickly
promoted to the Deputy Chief Administrative
Officer position. Brantley was offered a position
with Blackstone Group, where she worked while
serving on the boards of various non-profit organizations. She left the Blackstone Group in 2032
Educated at Deerfield Academy in Mas-
Yale, Cobalt Williams joined the Navy SEALs
directly out of college and was assigned to the
Naval Special Warfare Development Group (or,
as it is more widely known, SEAL Team 6). He
achieved the rank of Commander before retiring
from the Navy and joining Baker Hughes as an
account manager for several accounts. He then
joined Alphabet, Inc. as an account executive in
2030. He was promoted during the 2036 merger
of Microsoft and Google to oversee all former Alphabet, Inc. accounts and to integrate them into
the Microsoft business development scheme. By
2044, his personally managed accounts showed
the most growth of all Microsoft accounts and in
2047 he was offered the EVP-BD position.
Cressida Thomas,
the position of Chief Financial Officer.
EVP, Windows and
Group
Cobalt Williams, EVP, Devices
The Microsoft Executive Vice President
Business Development for the Windows and Devices Group is responsifor a position working in the finance department
at Microsoft. In 2042, she was recommended for
The Microsoft Executive Vice President
for Business Development is in charge of longterm development and growth in business partnerships and client relationships. He should
work with companies of all sizes to drive Microsoft’s continuing innovation and collaboration
with external partners.
ble for the development and improvement of the
software platform, apps, games, store and devices
that power the Windows ecosystem.
At the age of 14, Cressida Thomas devel-
oped a mobile app that allowed users to consolidate their online shopping carts and coordinate
purchases over multiple retailers. The rights to
18
Microsoft Corp. Positions
the app were bought by WillowTree, Inc., and
as Google[x]) and worked on multiple projects
Cressida continued her passion of developing
including the creation of the fifth generation
mobile applications. She graduated from Stan-
Google Glass products. He specializes in arti-
ford with a Masters degree in computer science
ficial intelligence and was promoted to oversee
and founded a startup, Diomedes, which devel-
all AI components for X projects. By the Micro-
oped mobile games and utility applications and
soft-Google merger in 2036, Petersen was a man-
created customized mobile apps for clients. In
aging director of X. As a result of the merger,
2035, Diomedes was acquired by Microsoft and
Petersen was selected as the EVP for all technol-
Cressida was offered a developer position within
ogy and research between Microsoft and Google,
the Windows and Devices Group. She managed
but still remains very hands-on in his approach
multiple successful projects and was offered the
to managing R&D projects. Petersen also serves
executive position over Windows and Devices
on the Board of Trustees for the University of
Group after taking multiple lateral positions to
Washington.
learn about the administration and operations of
Tab Astor Lawrence,
Chief Legal Officer
the division.
Nils Petersen, EVP,
Technology and Research
The Microsoft Executive Vice President
for Technology and Research is responsible for
driving the company’s overall technical directions, including mid-term and long-term technology strategy and forward-looking research
and development efforts.
Nils Petersen attained a PhD in Applied
Mathematics and Statistics at U.C. Berkeley after
earning an undergraduate and master’s degree
in computer science at the University of Washington. He was hired by X (formerly known
The Microsoft Chief Legal Officer is re-
sponsible for the company’s legal work, its intellectual property portfolio, patent licensing
business, corporate philanthropy, government
affairs, public policy, corporate governance, and
social responsibility work, as well as for ensuring compliance with all applicable national and
international regulations.
Tab Lawrence was born into one of the
wealthiest American families, the Astors, and
lived an early life of comfortable luxury. After
graduating with a bachelor’s degree in economics and social sciences from the University of
Heidelberg in Germany, he earned his J.D. at
UNCMUNC VIII
Microsoft Corp. Positions
Harvard Law School before obtaining an LL.M at
Georgetown University. He was hired by Gibson,
Dunn, & Crutcher in Los Angeles and achieved
partner status by the age of 30. He established
his own legal firm, Astor Lawrence MacGordon
in 2034 which specialized in copyright protection
and patent law, and which also offered highly
touted government lobbying services. ALMacG
was acquired in 2040 by Allen & Overy, and Lawrence accepted a position as Samsung’s Deputy
Chief Legal Officer. In 2042, he accepted the
CLO position at Microsoft.
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