when a user searches for "google" on bing using microsoft edge, a promotional ad pops up to occupy the homepage, and a google-style search bar appears. with this design, the organic search results for "google" are pushed to the bottom of the page, and the newly added slogan in the ad, "donate to over 2 million non-profit organizations with every search," represents the latest evolution of microsoft's customer retention strategy.
according to the technology media outlet "windows latest", this phenomenon was first discovered in january 2025 when microsoft attempted to retain users with a parody interface. this strategy has now been replaced by a more appealing promise of charitable donations. when users click on the link, they are redirected to the donation page of microsoft rewards, where they can directly convert the points earned from bing searches into donations to charities. microsoft has not officially revealed details about the donation mechanism, but it is said that this feature already supports international organizations such as unicef.
this practice has sparked controversy. google executives have publicly criticized microsoft's parody interface as "deceptive", while some users believe that the added value of charitable donations may change their search habits. microsoft's product marketing director previously stated in response to similar promotions, "this is an opportunity for users to understand the advantages of our product," but did not directly address ethical concerns about this strategy.
analysts point out that microsoft has maintained an overwhelming advantage over google in the search engine market for many years. this attempt to balance commercial competition and public welfare is an effort to enhance the appeal of bing and cultivate a corporate social responsibility image. however, the prioritization of ads over organic search results may still affect the transparency of the user experience.
