Is it bad faith on Microsoft’s part, of course, but this is expected behaviour from Microsoft who are at their core a proprietary software company that doesn’t truly embrace the open software ideals. We should be grateful that VS Code was put in the open by Microsoft, as that in itself is very unusual for them.
The problem is complacency, western countries looking at themselves, saying aren’t we good, we have universal education for all our citizens, we are so much better than all these poor countries. Imagining that the job is done and this competitive edge would remain forever. Meanwhile countries like China, have been determined to make their mark in the world, instead of saying we are good enough, they have said we can do better.
We in the west might not agree with some of their authoritarian methods, but they have built something that now threatens the dominance of the USA. Incredibly, countries are now looking at China as being a more reliable trade partner than the USA. The balance of power is shifting rapidly in the world today.
Now that the agents have been given more freedom to be asshats under the current administration, nobody who has brown skin or from a country that the Trump administration dislikes is going to travel to the USA other than those that have no choice. The bad people will not be deterred from entering the USA, they will do whatever they have to, to get in to pursue their nefarious objectives no matter what, while those of us that are law abiding tourists looking to spend some of our disposable income, have long since found friendlier locations to visit.
It is this consumer debt that largely fuels the US economy, so instead of the government trying to educate people and regulating the industry to protect people from themselves, they simply ignore the problem.
Surprise your boss. Get to work on time.