Free Now, Pay Later: Microsoft Turns Piracy into Profit September 29, 2009

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Complete video at: http://fora.tv/2009/09/23/Free-Conomics_with_Chris_Anderson

Wired editor and author Chris Anderson explains Microsoft's rather progressive stance on pirating. Microsoft takes a long view on young companies (and developing countries) who pirate its software, gambling that early exposure will lead to future business and increased profits for the software giant.

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Apparently there is such a thing as a free lunch. Radiohead and Nine Inch Nails capitalized on offering their music for free, Google lets us search, e-mail and use all kinds of free applications, and ATT will give you a cell phone gratis, if you just buy their monthly plan. These are only a fraction of the businesses that have helped to establish a full-fledged economy based on the concept of zero dollars down.

Wired's Chris Anderson explains the recent phenomenon of making lots of money by charging nothing. Is everything moving toward "free now, pay later"? What are the consequences? - Commonwealth Club of California

Chris Anderson is editor-in-chief of Wired Magazine, which has won a National Magazine Award under his tenure. He coined the phrase "The Long Tail" in an acclaimed Wired article, which he expanded upon in the book The Long Tail: Why the Future of Business Is Selling Less of More (2006). He currently lives in Berkeley, California with his wife and four young children. Before joining Wired in 2001, he worked at The Economist, where he launched their coverage of the Internet. He also has a degree in physics from George Washington University and did research at Los Alamos National Laboratory. He has also worked at the prestigious journals Nature and Science.