It's much more likely that google or microsoft would absolutely annihilate the average joe with a countersuit rather than license anything from them. They hold a much bigger patent portfolio and can afford to pump money into a case for several years. There is absolutely nothing that makes patents attractive to the "lone inventor" type. The innovations may be worthy, but patents do nothing to help there.
However, some innovations, maybe 1 in 1000, are really worthy. And if the inventor did not have some way to protect their research - google or microsoft or anyone else could usurp the idea from the average joe who spent a lot of research and effort to resolve the invention. just my 2 cents.