April Fool's Day is a collectively sanctioned excuse to lie to people once every year. Tech companies, in particular, love making goofy announcements on the first day of April to celebrate, but one major industry player will sit out the annual tradition in 2019.
This year, Microsoft has strongly discouraged its employees from doing any April Fool's stunts, at least in front of the public. The order was given by marketing exec Chris Capossela in an internal memo obtained by The Verge.
Mashable confirmed with Microsoft that the memo is indeed real.
Long story short, Capossela is worried that any prank Microsoft tries to pull could get taken seriously by people who forget what day it is.
"Considering the headwinds the tech industry is facing today, I’m asking all teams at Microsoft to not do any public-facing April Fools’ Day stunts," Caposella wrote in the memo. "I appreciate that people may have devoted time and resources to these activities, but I believe we have more to lose than gain by attempting to be funny on this one day."
Microsoft could have done some classic Zune jokes on April Fool's day this year.Credit: David Howells / Corbis via Getty ImagesMicrosoft may have a point here. News moves quickly these days, and there are legitimate concerns about the way fake articles can spread on social media unchallenged. Even something as innocuous as an April Fool's prank about the Zune or Windows M.E. could unintentionally pass through a filter somewhere and create headaches for Microsoft's PR department.
With Microsoft possibly gearing up to promote hard-to-believe products like an Xbox One that doesn't have a disc drive, the company might need to stay on the side of truth as much as possible this year. It will be worth watching how other tech companies respond to this. Some might eventually follow suit, while others could use the void created by Microsoft to come up with even more grandiose gags.
TopicsMicrosoftWindowsXbox
(责任编辑：熱點)
This 'sh*tpost' bot makes terrible memes so you don't have to
Pornhub accused of abusing user data by #StopDataPorn
ChatGPT monthly traffic has dropped for the first time
Water worlds in the galaxy could be 100 times more common than once thought'The Flying Bum' aircraft crashes during second test flightFelix the cat just raised £5000 for charity because she's the hero we all need
LONDON -- Remember Felix, the Huddersfield train station cat who got promoted to Senior Pest Control
...[详细]What's new to streaming and theaters this week: 'Across the Spider
The summer movie seasonis slowly wrapping up, but before we bid it farewell and welcome all things H
...[详细]Pinterest unveils AI body type tech to increase representation
Pinterest is launching a body type technology to increase representation and inclusivity on its plat
...[详细]How to separate romantic rejection from your self
When the text flashed on my iPhone screen, I had the answer to the question I'd been afraid to ask.
...[详细]Sound the alarms: Simone Biles finally met Zac Efron
Is there anything Simone Biles can't do?The unstoppable gymnast just won her fifth medal of the Rio
...[详细]USDA announces $667 million ReConnect Program for rural internet access
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced the latest in several nationwide efforts to brin
...[详细]Pornhub accused of abusing user data by #StopDataPorn
In the midst of an American moral panic about explicit content, lawmakers have started passing age-v
...[详细]McDonald's viral Grimace shake TikTok trend actually boosted sales
McDonald's execs created a hit menu item that significantly boosted sales — and there is absol
...[详细]Olympian celebrates by ordering an intimidating amount of McDonald's
It's no secret that Olympians have to eat clean for years to ensure they're at peak physical conditi
...[详细]And just like that, Gloria Steinem makes a cameo in 'Sex and the City'
And Just Like That... has strived to prove itself socially-conscious throughout its one-and-a-half r
...[详细]Olympics official on Rio's green diving pool: 'Chemistry is not an exact science'
How to separate romantic rejection from your self