Inside Microsoft’s failed plan to dodge media payment laws

Less than three months ago, in the midst of the tumult caused by war in the Middle East and not long before a government-defining federal budget, Anthony Albanese found the time to meet with Microsoft. It wasn’t a senior vice president or some outer C-suite executive who met with the prime minister, of course. It was Microsoft chief executive Satya Nadella, and he came bearing gifts. The Silicon Valley technology giant promised to invest $25 billion in artificial intelligence infrastructure in Australia alone.

If tensions between Albanese and the tech giants were running high – the government had implemented social media bans for children, was threatening tough AI and data centre rules and had proposed a tax to drive payments for the use of news content – it wasn’t showing.

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