This is just speculation, but I’m pretty sure Microsoft stopped caring about people pirating windows and using licences they shouldn’t have. They would rather you use windows as a pirate than not use windows at all.
Been like that since the 90s really. Microsoft’s “secret sauce” is that they never gave a shit about the end users.
They make bank by courting enterprise users: Big companies with hundreds of employees, OEMs, governments, schools, etc.
In recent times they found a way to double-dip by putting in telemetry/data collection/ads/adware – But before that they just didn’t care.
It does help that windows makes the user develop learned helplessness and so by the time they are getting their own computer, they’ll want to stay in the windows environment. So they also get the inflated marketshare, which feeds back into their pitch when they are courting those enterprises.
This is just speculation, but I’m pretty sure Microsoft stopped caring about people pirating windows and using licences they shouldn’t have. They would rather you use windows as a pirate than not use windows at all.
Removed by mod
Been like that since the 90s really. Microsoft’s “secret sauce” is that they never gave a shit about the end users.
They make bank by courting enterprise users: Big companies with hundreds of employees, OEMs, governments, schools, etc.
In recent times they found a way to double-dip by putting in telemetry/data collection/ads/adware – But before that they just didn’t care.
It does help that windows makes the user develop learned helplessness and so by the time they are getting their own computer, they’ll want to stay in the windows environment. So they also get the inflated marketshare, which feeds back into their pitch when they are courting those enterprises.
It’s true. But why would anyone buy an illegal key if they can activate Windows for free?