The AMD NDA Scandal

Just two weeks ago, we reported that a Thai journalist walked out of the hush-hush (AMD event in Singapore over a controversial NDA that required him to "send any stories to the vendor before his newspaper can publish it".

AMD categorically denied it happened, but today, we not only have proof that it happened, we also have the sordid details of the entire affair.

Here's a quote from the editorial :

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Link : The AMD NDA Scandal

 

On Day 2 though, they were presented with another NDA to sign before a factory visit. This one stipulated that "any confidential information from this visit would need written approval from corporate communications before it could be used". I don't know about you, but that clause sounds exactly like the clause in the first NDA. The PR person even had the temerity to say that it was "just paperwork and that everyone, be it a president or prime minister, had to sign this document". That was when Don walked out.


I personally don't think that's too bad. They were offering to take people through their factory which contains tons of highly guarded secrets and people are getting bent out of shape about being asked to sign an NDA saying they would have to submit stories about private correspondence? I'd want the same thing if I were AMD. The story doesn't make it sound like it's about processors, it makes it sound like the NDA was about the fab.

T

 

You see, the issue here is not really the NDA it self. Press members expect to sign some sort of disclosure. The problem stems not from that fact, but the fact that AMD wants to 'filter' out articles. This is a slippery slope. NDAs are NDAs. We respect that. But having them filter through our work (i.e: refusing unfavorable articles), now that is a no no. It's all about safe guarding our journalism. We have our ethics (abiding by NDAs is one of them).

 

Hmmm... let's see, so would "Steps to Successful Product Launch" as written by AMD go something like:
1. Assume everybody you tell is going to lie about you;
2. Lie about your assumptions
3. Apologize for your lie, but only to 'preferred' ("tier-1") victims.

When are people going to figure out that "a little bit dishonest" or "a little bit coerced" is closer to "a little bit pregnant" - in other words, relative degrees are pointlessly ludicrous?

I know the "in" thing among corporations this decade seems to be "how can we make people jump through smaller, higher flaming hoops than we did last time, and pay us for the privilege?" -- but isn't it about time that everyone concerned realize that corporations exist as such by the express permission of people and/or nation-states, rather than the other way around? These journalists were, after all, essentially being asked to do AMD a favor - write glowingly about their Great New Product - and, even though the expenses were being paid by AMD, that does not turn their relationship into a work-for-hire situation. Worse, as we are seeing, rather than write glowing reviews that are trusted by the readers, these writers are letting it be known that there is a rather large thumb on the grocer's scale. Thus, regardless of the actual merits of the product in question. it will take the industry some time to trust positive reviews with detailed information (presumably coming from signatories of the NDA), and considerably less time to believe negative reviews (obviously, apparently, unapproved by the marketing honchos). In other words, AMD have once again found a way to give themselves the gift that keeps on taking. I'd be rather surprised, on general principle, if any of the systems I or my company buy in the short to medium term come with the quad-core Opterons. Too bad, really.