Former Microsoft employee pedals Windows 11 piracy, says Microsoft does not care

There is an ex-Microsoft employee doing the rounds on X about how Microsoft does not care about people pirating its operating systems, such as Windows 10 and 11. In a series of posts on X, @Barnacules shares the trivia about activating Windows 11 and 10 using unauthorized KMS servers (a big no-no and a violation of the license agreement).

For those unaware, KMS stands for Key Management Service, and it is tech that Microsoft uses for volume activation of various products in enterprise environments. For example, companies use authorized KMS servers to activate Windows and Office products for their systems. Regular consumers, on the other hand, use standard activation keys that can be purchased through authorized retailers or some shady places (which, according to the author, also do not bother Microsoft despite frequent reports).

However, KMS is also a popular piracy method. Hacked, unauthorized, or third-party servers are often used to activate Microsoft products without giving the company a single penny. Textbook piracy.

Did you know you can activate Windows 11 using a 3rd party activation server on the internet outlined in dozens of GitHub projects that Microsoft purposefully doesn't try to stop because at the end of the day, they want you running Windows 11 because you're the product! 😏… pic.twitter.com/4x3EY9eoT0
— Barnacules Nerdgasm (@Barnacules) January 8, 2025

@Barnacules argues that Microsoft simply does not care if you use Windows 11 without a proper license because "you are the product." And with how many annoyances and ads Microsoft shoves into its operating system (here, here, and here, just to name a few), one might rightfully argue so.

So long as the method of activation doesn't prevent Microsoft from deploying updates to the machine or disable their ability to collect telemetry from the machine then they don't give a rip how it gets on there and stays on their IMHO based on their response to all this.
— Barnacules Nerdgasm (@Barnacules) January 8, 2025

However, piracy is still piracy, and it violates license agreements regardless of whether you have read them or not or what you think about Microsoft's modern approach to its operating system. And even though this sounds like a broken record, you risk falling victim to malware, ransomware, and all sorts of other digital STDs when pirating software. You also have no right to support, should you need it.

Still, it is surely interesting to watch a person who helped develop and ship major Windows versions basically promote piracy to over 100K of his followers on X.

Here is a certified banger to remind everyone that "piracy. it's a crime!"