- Microsoft will consider whether to include Bitcoin on its balance sheet.
- The proposal to talk about Bitcoin comes from a conservative think tank.
- The think tank regularly submits proposals to the Fortune 500.
Microsoft said on Tuesday it planned to discuss at its annual shareholders meeting whether to include Bitcoin on its balance sheet.
The proposal, though, didn’t come from Microsoft itself. It came from the conservative think tank National Center for Public Policy Research. In fact, Microsoft’s board recommended that shareholders vote against it during the December 10 meeting.
“Microsoft has strong and appropriate processes in place to manage and diversify its corporate treasury for the long-term benefit of shareholders and this requested public assessment is unwarranted,” it wrote.
Crypto cheerleaders may see the Bitcoin proposal from the National Center for Public Policy Research as further evidence of crypto’s increasing corporate adoption.
That may be true, but what’s clearer is that the think tank’s submission to Microsoft is part of its ongoing strategy to nag large corporations into considering conservative policies, according to filings with the US Securities and Exchange Commission.
‘Radical gender ideology’
Since January, the Washington-based think tank has submitted proposals to the boards of more than 60 public companies. They include Tesla, PayPal, Salesforce, AT&T, Capital One, Ford, Goldman Sachs, and Starbucks.
Its submissions riff off of conservative talking points. The think tank wants Nike to prepare a report on its voluntary partnerships, especially collaborations with organisations that support “radical gender ideology.”
It wants Boeing to write a report on the risks of its diversity, equity, and inclusion policies.
And it wants Apple to draft a report on the risks of not explicitly outlawing discrimination based on political ideology. “There is ample evidence that individuals with conservative viewpoints may face discrimination at Apple,” claimed the National Center for Public Policy Research.
In February, Apple conducted its annual shareholder meeting. Its board recommended shareholders vote against the proposal from the National Center for Public Policy Research.
“Our policies already address the proposal’s concern,” it wrote.
Shareholders agreed, and the proposal was rejected.
The National Center for Public Policy Research didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
Crypto market movers
- Bitcoin is up 1.2% over the past 24 hours to trade at $68,014.
- Ethereum is up 0.6% to trade at $$2,543.
What we’re reading
- Binance exec freed from Nigerian custody thanks to US diplomatic efforts, says family member — DL News
- Kraken Set to Add Investor Arjun Sethi as Co-CEO — The Information
- MicroStrategy’s Stellar Performance Won’t Lead to S&P 500 Inclusion Anytime Soon — Milk Road
- $1.1B Celestia Token Release to Boost October’s Crypto Unlocks to Nearly $2B — Milk Road
- Kraken follows Coinbase with Optimism-based blockchain Ink — DL News
Ben Weiss is a Dubai Correspondent at DL News. Got a tip? Email him at bweiss@dlnews.com.
