Paying for exclusive content, which other parties did not previously hold the rights to, is constructive manipulation. In this case Microsoft would be paying to detract from Google's value, which is destructive manipulation. In the former case the total output is not lessened, in the latter case the total output is lessened.
Ideally there would be no manipulative tactics at all, and all competing entities would do so by merit and product improvement alone. In this case all possible actions would be additive to total output.
Microsoft's tactics of destructive manipulation however is the worst you can get.
Ideally there would be no manipulative tactics at all, and all competing entities would do so by merit and product improvement alone. In this case all possible actions would be additive to total output.
Microsoft's tactics of destructive manipulation however is the worst you can get.