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It's okay, at least Microsoft still got their chance to burn money on Nokia.

...so much money...

Microsoft could've bought 6.5 Nokias for $45 billion

Or ~1 Nokia for what it was worth before Stephen Elop ran it into the ground.

(I don't buy the conspiracy theories that Elop was a Microsoft mole sent in to do exactly that. I never attribute to conspiracy what can be attributed to staggering incompetence)

Offshore cash, same as the Mojang acquisition, practically funny money given the ratio of how much of it it's possible to keep when repatriating it to the US.

"Anyone may arrange his affairs so that his taxes shall be as low as possible; he is not bound to choose that pattern which best pays the treasury. There is not even a patriotic duty to increase one's taxes. Over and over again the Courts have said that there is nothing sinister in so arranging affairs as to keep taxes as low as possible. Everyone does it, rich and poor alike and all do right, for nobody owes any public duty to pay more than the law demands."

-- Judge Learned Hand (1872-1961), Judge, U. S. Court of Appeals

That quote is annoying to spam in general, more so when it isn't even relevant.

It's not sinister per se, it's just silly. And I'd say it's roughly 50/50 the fault of corporations and of the US government setting tax policy weirdly.

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