Sanders: Microsoft testimony not a favor
C|Net | at | by Mike
Advanced Micro Devices CEO Jerry Sanders countered charges that he testified on behalf of Microsoft in the antitrust trial to get the software giant to support an upcoming chip from his company. "There was no quid pro quo," Sanders said during AMD's financial analyst call Wednesday. "We've been working with Microsoft on our X86-64 bit extensions for years now."
On Tuesday, Sanders said that his words in court on Monday were taken out of context. Sanders testified that he appeared in Washington as a favor to Microsoft, but he said it was a favor in that it was difficult to fit into his schedule. Sanders had to prepare for AMD's quarterly earnings call and the annual shareholders meeting, which takes place next week, as well as squeeze in a business trip to Japan.
"I was happy to testify for Bill. The reason it was a favor was because of the time," he said. "The favor wasn't to testify."