Amazon's formal challenge to massive Pentagon award uses videos that mark potential influence
Source: Washington Post
Amazon on Friday cited comments by President Trump at a rally and to journalists as it pursues its challenge to the Pentagons surprise decision to award a lucrative contract to rival Microsoft last month.For the first time, Amazon directly linked comments by the president to the award of the Joint Enterprise Defense Infrastructure (JEDI) contract to Microsoft last month.
Though Amazon filed its protest under seal, it also notified the Court of Federal Claims that it intends to use four videos as exhibits, including one of Trump at a February 2016 campaign rally, as well as a Fox News host urging him to prevent the Pentagon from awarding the contract to the online retail giant. The e-commerce giant formally filed a protest with the Court of Federal Claims to protest the award of the cloud-computing contract, following through on a threat it made last week. It did so under seal to protect trade secrets.
In a statement, the e-commerce giant repeated its claims that unmistakable bias and political influence tainted the decision-making process. Trump has repeatedly criticized Amazon, whose chief executive, Jeff Bezos, owns The Washington Post. Amazon also repeated its suggestion that the award of the JEDI contract to Microsoft was improperly influenced by President Donald Trump.
We also believe its critical for our country that the government and its elected leaders administer procurements objectively and in a manner that is free from political influence," Amazon spokesman Drew Herdener reiterated, issuing the same statement he gave a week ago. "Numerous aspects of the JEDI evaluation process contained clear deficiencies, errors, and unmistakable bias- and its important that these matters be examined and rectified.
Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2019/11/22/amazon-files-protest-pentagons-billion-jedi-award-under-seal/
Full headline: Amazons formal challenge to massive Pentagon award uses videos that mark potential influence exerted by Trump
targetpractice
(4,919 posts)First, who would build any major technology platform with Microsoft stuff in 2019?
Second, Trump really did insert himself in this contract process with "unmistakeable bias"
And finally, this...
erronis
(14,955 posts)in its embrace of open-source open-licensing.
Given its 20+ year history of embracing and then extinguishing, it'll take a long time before I trust them with any of my jewels (well, zircons).
Amazon is scarier because it is much smarter and is making huge $s on its computing platforms.
Google has a huge advantage in personal information capture as well as machine-learning technologies.
But the marketplace is still open for innovation and some great small companies to become the new titans.
(Unless the monopolists can stifle any patents.)
targetpractice
(4,919 posts)Amazon Web Services (AWS) nails it as far as scalability and performance, based on my experience with them launching products. And, it's a platform I'd trust if I was building anything.
I have problems logging into my simple Microsoft Office 365 account monthly... If they can't get that right, then why would anyone trust them for some of our nation's most important defense projects?
erronis
(14,955 posts)While they embraced the DEC VMS as a model for a server OS they never thought forward to cooperating servers/clusters.
Application suites like Office were never built to be just views on an underlying data model. Now they are trying to shoe-horn the old interfaces into a web-style application.
Google was lucky to capitalize on what the "Office" and home users wanted. They could build their products upon the understood requirements. They've done an incredible job.
Totally agree with your view about AWS. It scares me how it is capturing almost all new development. My little OSS tools run better on AWS than on my dedicated server. And at a lower cost - excluding high GPU demands.
targetpractice
(4,919 posts)I'm a humble product manager, but made my decisions on a little bit of dangerous technical knowhow and some real world experience.
If it didn't work when I tried it, I went on to explore the next possible solution.
My current clients, have launched their businesses with AWS, and everything has been smooth as glass.
targetpractice
(4,919 posts)Just kidding, my friend, erronis.
mathematic
(1,430 posts)Maybe you were thinking of 2009.
Microsoft is, without a doubt, the premier company for software services and technology. Nobody trusts google to not kill their products. Amazon is only narrowly focused on aws. They don't do major languages, developer tools, or general business productivity software. Microsoft does all these things and their main business isn't selling ads or retailing. There's a reason microsoft is the most valuable company in the world. They're good at what they do. You're behind the times with your "lol microsoft" routine. Microsoft hasn't been that company since steve ballmer left.
Now, amazon might have a case because trump is a corrupt authoritarian but that doesn't mean that aws would have won out against azure in a fair fight without trump.
targetpractice
(4,919 posts)I shouldn't have weighed in on this DC vs. Marvel universe kind of debate, because arguing is not why I come to DU, and these discussions seldom end well. All of what I'm about to write is based on my personal experience, and should be taken with grains of salt and with acknowledgment of your different perspective, experience, and good on you...
But, some of your claims are simply not true. Microsoft is not the most valuable company in the world anymore, and hasn't been for a while... Apple, Amazon, and Google (Alphabet) rank higher in market capitalization.
At the end of the day, platform decisions are made by real people on real teams... Much of the decision making process in the real world is based on the competency of those on board at the time. And, I'll admit I am very biased, because every team of Microsoft developers I've had to work with have been the most annoying "You can't do that" folks since way before 2009... Since 1999 even. I've personally never met an agile, innovative, or open-minded Microsoft developer. You may be my first.
If Microsoft is great now in 2019, it's news to me, but it no longer matters. I would never recommend spending money in their direction.
Despite your claim... Nobody I know is using Azure, but maybe that's because we travel in different circles. This is my choice, I suppose.
mathematic
(1,430 posts)The competencies of your team is probably the biggest factor between choosing platforms. That said, azure isn't just for microsoft technologies. You can be a typical linux dev and use azure as your cloud platform no problem.
Microsoft has been the most valuable company all year but I went to check on the numbers to see if that changed. In fact, it did, for the last two weeks apple has barely edged out microsoft as the largest. They're both well ahead of amazon and alphabet. Microsoft was the largest company some time in the past and then "for a while" it was greatly overtaken by the companies you mentioned. Then, in the last five years with help from the great growth of azure, it's leapt back into the 1st spot.
My only point in all this is that lots of people have "old" perceptions of microsoft and will look at this pentagon story as an obvious case of presidential interference even though azure is good and may very well be the best thing for the pentagon regardless of what trump wants.
targetpractice
(4,919 posts)Sincerely, mathematic, I do. I don't post on DU often, and was awake very early this morning and was worried later I just reacted too quickly to you. Thanks, for being kind.
I do admit to having old perceptions, and am always willing to learn more. But, my old perceptions are deep, though... And, maybe that's a not the best thing for a decision maker.
My entire career has been in technology... Yet, I was the last of my friends to completely trust depositing money in an ATM machine. I still FURIOUSLY press "*" or "0" to avoid auto-attendants when I call any company. And, I admit I feel a little nauseous when I take off in an airplane with a flight control system that might have Microsoft technology.
I do thank you for giving me a Saturday morning research assignment... I will catch up on Azure.
mathematic
(1,430 posts)I don't post much either. Have a good one!
targetpractice
(4,919 posts)Who should get the JEDI contract?
I definitely think Amazon has cause to raise a red flag in the decision process, but I don't know enough about the project requirements.
Is it "six of one or half a dozen of the other"?
mathematic
(1,430 posts)I think amazon, microsoft, and google (before they dropped out) would all be capable of delivering. I know trump hates amazon. I think we'll all find out more about how the decisions were made as this story plays out.
erronis
(14,955 posts)even more.
This type of slick dealing may be marginally acceptable in commercial negotiations. It may happen more than just a little in state/federal contracts.
But to have such a blatant call-out by a public executive is beyond any sense of propriety.
He/it seems to feel that he can run the country as if it is one of his other failed enterprises - which it soon will be.
Ask your (R)epuglicon congress-critters how they are benefiting from this corruption? Will they walk away from the question?
Midnight Writer
(21,547 posts)And if Hillary Clinton were somehow charged? Isn't the President's big mouth her Get Out Of Jail Free card?
How are you gonna give her a fair trial after The President of the United States of America has spent years leading rallies shouting "Lock Her Up!"?
targetpractice
(4,919 posts)Nobody can formulate a new lawsuit, or article, or inquiry without having to "File > New Document..." every few minutes.
Julian English
(434 posts)He withheld government money from Ukraine in attempt to smear Biden.
He worked to withhold a government contract from Amazon to punish Bezos.
It's the people's money, it's not tRump.
This wrong.
SayItLoud
(1,696 posts)So, win or lose they will be a thorn in the Orange ass of tRUMP NOW and after he's out of office.
EarthFirst
(2,877 posts)Not to be understood that I am friendly with Bezos; but come on! Im Washington; *especially* with the current lot at the helm; this is standard operating procedure; generally out of spite...
Farmer-Rick
(10,072 posts)Bill Gates enables Traitor Trump for giveaways just like this.
Bezos needs to beef up his fawning and orange mass kissing skills.
All the filthy rich just love, love them some orange mass because they can then steal our national wealth. Yeah, they help out shorty Putin and destroy our democracy too, but they don't care. They are making money.
the Corruption of Capitalism