Microsoft has almost always behaved unethically. Many examples similar to yours are easy to find. Their behavior in your case immediately reminded me of this 1994 example:
They've engaged many naive people/companies, milked them of their knowledge after signing NDAs, and then stabbed them in the back, stealing eveything.
They're big enough, and have unlimited legal resources to vigorously defend any legal challenge, and also to launch legal attacks at will.
After the DOJ anti-trust case, they preemptively put every major law firm on retainer, so nobody else could retain them in an effort vs. Microsoft, without creating a conflict of interest.
They are still evil, but less so after Gates and Ballmer.
There’s a Simpsons episode that’s older than many of the readers here where Bill Gates destroys (literally has goons smash) a business Homer accidentally started.
If Matt Groening thinks you’re a gaggle of assholes you’re probably even worse.
https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1994-02-24-fi-26671-...
They've engaged many naive people/companies, milked them of their knowledge after signing NDAs, and then stabbed them in the back, stealing eveything.
They're big enough, and have unlimited legal resources to vigorously defend any legal challenge, and also to launch legal attacks at will.
After the DOJ anti-trust case, they preemptively put every major law firm on retainer, so nobody else could retain them in an effort vs. Microsoft, without creating a conflict of interest.
They are still evil, but less so after Gates and Ballmer.