This is part of Microsoft's core culture. Bill Gates championed the philosophy of doing anything it takes to get ahead, as long as there's some argument that it might be legal.

And to their credit they've been fantastically successful. I enjoy many things in my day-to-day life by Microsoft provided "free" of charge.

Take that for what you will.

Thank Linus and RMS not Microsoft. They were forced to play catchup with the free/open source movement.

So what I left out of my comment are the ethical implications of doing whatever you want, as long as there's no law against it. Many behaviors are unethical, while still (for the time being) legal.

Wait till you hear how they compete for suppliers, customers, and regulatory changes. Business is about gaining an advantage over a rival. Scoping up rival employees is a 2x activity, you get talent and a competitor has less.