Silicon Investor - Microsoft Corp. - Moderated (MSFT)

[zax] Microsoft reveals new quantum chip made with AI, says it will have systems by 20...

zax — 6/3/2026 11:50:41 AM

Microsoft reveals new quantum chip made with AI, says it will have systems by 2029

reuters.com

Microsoft unveils Majorana 2 chip using AI-designed lead-based materials, claims 1,000-fold boost on some performance metrics

Microsoft aims to have commercially useful machines the same year as rival IBM

Physicists criticize Microsoft for lack of public data, questioning reproducibility of its quantum claims

... reuters.com

[zax] Nvidia Enters Windows Laptop Market, Taking On Intel and AMD finance.yahoo.com ...

zax — 6/1/2026 1:18:13 AM

Nvidia Enters Windows Laptop Market, Taking On Intel and AMD

finance.yahoo.com

(Bloomberg) -- Nvidia Corp. is entering the PC market with a new chip aimed at loosening the stranglehold of Intel Corp. technology in that arena and modernizing the machines for the AI era.

</snip> Full article here: finance.yahoo.com

[zax] Microsoft Corporation (MSFT) 450.24 +23.25 (+5.45%) At close: May 29 at 4:00:0...

zax — 6/1/2026 12:36:10 AM

Microsoft Corporation (MSFT)

450.24 +23.25 (+5.45%) At close: May 29 at 4:00:01 PM EDT
462.89 +12.65 (+2.76%) Overnight: 12:27:03 AM EDT

The money is rotating out of GOOG and into MSFT because it is looking for the next runner, and GOOG stalled.

My thesis:

There are many new AI plays emerging every day, and as a result the easy money is getting harder and scarcer and the odds longer. So the smart money is looking for who won't collapse when the music stops but will still run with the bulls on the way up anyway.

And suddenly, every analyst realizes that MSFT was trading below its 200 day moving average. It ain't no more, brother. Last week is over and this train is leaving the station.

[Don Green] Only the start more to come AI OS is coming Message 35349912

Don Green — 5/1/2026 4:48:09 PM

[Johnny Canuck] I also think there is some concern about share of AI growth. AMZN and MSFT has g...

Johnny Canuck — 4/30/2026 8:33:04 AM

I also think there is some concern about share of AI growth. AMZN and MSFT has growth in 30s GOOGL was 63 percent.

[Johnny Canuck] Microsoft delivers a promising quarter but can’t shake the software fears Publis...

Johnny Canuck — 4/30/2026 8:30:57 AM

Microsoft delivers a promising quarter but can’t shake the software fears
Published Wed, Apr 29 2026•8:21 PM EDT|Updated 25 Min Ago

Kevin Stankiewicz @in/kevin-stankiewicz-b5593466

Share?Share Article via Facebook?Share Article via Twitter?Share Article via LinkedIn?Share Article via Email

Microsoft on Wednesday reported better-than-expected quarterly results and issued a strong forecast for its all-important Azure cloud unit. But key debates hanging over the stock weren’t put to bed, resulting in a muted reaction in extended trading. Here’s a look at some of the key metrics in Microsoft’s fiscal 2026 third quarter versus the Wall Street consensus: Revenue in the three months ended in March rose 18% year over year to $82.89 billion, beating the LSEG consensus estimate of $81.39 billion. Earnings per share (EPS) totaled $4.27, up 23.4% from a year earlier, topping the $4.06 consensus, according to LSEG. Azure cloud revenue growth on a constant currency basis came in at 39%, versus the FactSet consensus of 38%. On a reported basis, Azure cloud revenue was up 40%, ahead of the FactSet consensus of 39%. MSFT 1Y mountain Microsoft’s stock performance over the past 12 months. Bottom line Let’s call it a step in the right direction. There were some positives, led by the Azure growth guidance for the current quarter. But there were also some reminders about why Microsoft had become such a battleground stock in the first place — in particular, concerns about the viability of highly profitable seat-based software business models. With all these puts and takes, it’s not surprising to see the stock oscillating between modest gains and losses in after-hours trading on Wednesday night. Microsoft was beloved in the early days of the generative AI boom, thanks to its close ties to ChatGPT creator OpenAI. But the shine has faded, rendering Microsoft the worst-performing stock in the “Magnificent Seven” over the past six months. It’s tested our patience and that of plenty of other longtime shareholders, too. Among the reasons for the stock’s poor performance: Microsoft’s reliance on OpenAI for Azure growth came to be viewed as a weakness rather than a weapon. At the same time, the market wondered whether Microsoft was leaving Azure growth on the table as it ran into capacity constraints. Skepticism also mounted about the quality of Microsoft’s Copilot AI assistant as rivals like startup Anthropic were showered with praise for their tools. Additionally, concerns about “AI eating software” have been a major overhang on Microsoft and its industry peers. These debates were not solved on Wednesday night, even if some clarity was gained. The positives: Microsoft expects Azure growth for the three months ended in June to be between 39% and 40%, compared to the FactSet consensus of roughly 37%. Microsoft also signaled that it’s ramping up its capital expenditures to bring more AI computing capacity online. That should help the company meet demand from external customers while also allocating resources to internal AI model research to lessen its reliance on OpenAI’s intellectual property over time. Microsoft and OpenAI’s relationship continues to evolve , with a growing distance between them. On the earnings call, Microsoft CFO Amy Hood said the company expects to spend about $190 billion in capex in calendar 2026, implying almost $120 billion in the April-to-December timeframe. That compares with roughly $118 billion for all of calendar 2025, representing roughly 61% year-over-year growth. Another modest positive is that paid Copilot seats now exceed 20 million, up from 15 million disclosed in January, and Hood said the company expects a sequential increase again in the current quarter, driving continued average revenue per user growth. This isn’t to say Microsoft doesn’t still have work to do to make Copilot better, but adoption is at least trending upward. So, what about the bad? Well, Microsoft cannot escape the fact that it’s still a software company that has thrived on selling seat-based licenses to customers. And in the age of AI, where companies may be lowering their headcount and the remaining employees are using gobs of expensive AI compute, the old way of charging customers may need to evolve. Indeed, a considerable amount of time on Wednesday night’s conference call Q & A was spent discussing the seat-based versus consumption models. CEO Satya Nadella essentially made the case for a hybrid solution — and while time will tell whether he’s right, the very nature of the conversation reinforced some of the existential concerns investors have about software providers right now. For now, we’re reiterating our hold-equivalent 2 rating and price target of $500. Guidance Here’s the guidance that Microsoft offered for its fiscal 2026 fourth quarter: Azure revenue growth (constant currency) between 39% and 40%, comfortably ahead of the FactSet consensus of 36.9%. Total revenue in the range of $86.7 billion to $87.8 billion, implying growth between 13% and 15%. The midpoint of the guidance is slightly below the FactSet consensus of $87.56 billion. Operating expenses of $19.3 billion to $19.4 billion, implying 7% year over year growth. The implied FactSet consensus was $19.78 billion. Capital expenditures over $40 billion as more compute capacity comes online. Here’s the Q4 revenue expectations by reporting segment: Productivity and Business Processes: $37 billion to $37.3 billion. That is above the FactSet consensus of $36.64 billion. Intelligent Cloud: $37.95 to $38.25 billion. That compares with the FactSet consensus of $37.65 billion. More Personal Computing: $11.75 billion to $12.25 billion, below the FactSet consensus of $13.31 billion. (Jim Cramer’s Charitable Trust is long MSFT. See here for a full list of the stocks.) As a subscriber to the CNBC Investing Club with Jim Cramer, you will receive a trade alert before Jim makes a trade. Jim waits 45 minutes after sending a trade alert before buying or selling a stock in his charitable trust’s portfolio. If Jim has talked about a stock on CNBC TV, he waits 72 hours after issuing the trade alert before executing the trade. THE ABOVE INVESTING CLUB INFORMATION IS SUBJECT TO OUR TERMS AND CONDITIONS AND PRIVACY POLICY , TOGETHER WITH OUR DISCLAIMER . NO FIDUCIARY OBLIGATION OR DUTY EXISTS, OR IS CREATED, BY VIRTUE OF YOUR RECEIPT OF ANY INFORMATION PROVIDED IN CONNECTION WITH THE INVESTING CLUB

[miraje] Does anyone follow MSFT stock any more? Another very good Q report, beating on e...

miraje — 4/29/2026 10:33:42 PM

Does anyone follow MSFT stock any more? Another very good Q report, beating on earnings and revs, and the stock takes a hit in AH trading. Dead money? What am I missing?

[Don Green] Is Microsoft slipping into darkness? [youtube video]

Don Green — 4/24/2026 10:50:55 PM

[Don Green] MicroHard is coming your way Microsoft issues first-ever employee buyout—here’...

Don Green — 4/23/2026 5:24:04 PM

MicroHard is coming your way

Microsoft issues first-ever employee buyout—here’s how much employees might receive

Story by Ty Roush, Forbes Staff
Apr 23

Copilot uses AI to shape what you see here. Mistakes happen, so double-check the facts.

Voluntary Buyouts: Microsoft is offering buyouts to roughly 7% of its U.S. workforce (~8,750 employees), targeting senior director level and below, or those whose age + years of service = 70.
Severance Packages: Employees may receive tens of thousands of dollars, with packages including base pay, additional weeks per year of service, health care, and stock vesting.
Company Context: Microsoft aims to increase spending on AI and data centers, balancing growth with workforce adjustments amid broader tech sector challenges.

See more

Topline Microsoft on Thursday began offering voluntary buyouts to thousands of employees in the software giant’s first-ever employee buyout program, and workers will likely receive tens of thousands of dollars as part of their severance package.

Key Facts

Microsoft offered buyouts to about 7% of its U.S. workforce on Thursday, according to an internal memo obtained by CNBC and Bloomberg.

Microsoft employed roughly 228,000 people as of June 2025, and of those, 125,000 were in the U.S., according to a Securities and Exchange Commission filing (7% of the U.S. workforce would equal roughly 8,750 employees).

Those eligible for the buyouts include workers at the senior director level and below and employees whose years of employment at Microsoft and age add up to 70 or more.

Shares of Microsoft dropped by more than 4% as of Thursday afternoon, headlining broader losses across software stocks.

Microsoft did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Forbes.

How Much Will Microsoft Pay To Buyout Employees?Details for the buyouts will be disclosed to eligible employees and their managers on May 7, CNBC reported. Microsoft’s standard severance package previously included 12 weeks of base pay plus two additional weeks for every year of employment, though this could vary depending on tenure and level. When the company laid off 10,000 employees in 2023, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella said his firm would offer benefit-eligible employees six months of health care and stock vesting and 60 days of notice in addition to severance. If a 20-year employee whose salary totaled $180,000, their severance package would offer $180,000, though it’s likely this would be larger for higher-level workers.

How Does Microsoft’s Severance Package Compare With Other Firms?When Meta announced it would cut more than 11,000 employees in November 2022, CEO Mark Zuckerberg said in a memo the company would pay 16 weeks of base pay plus two additional weeks for every year of service, in addition to all remaining paid time off, six months of health insurance and three months of career services. As part of a buyout program last year for Google’s human resources department, mid- to senior-level employees reportedly received severances of up to 14 weeks of salary and one additional week for every year of employment. Billionaire Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff told laid-off employees in January 2023 they would receive a minimum of “nearly” five months of pay, health insurance, career resources and “other benefits to help with their transition.”

Key BackgroundMicrosoft plans to increase spending as it develops data center capacity and other AI products, amid reports that the company has struggled to meet demand. Microsoft and its peers—Apple, Meta, Amazon and Alphabet—ramped up capital expenditures by $45 billion last year to $383 billion, and analysts expect the group’s spending to grow by more tan $100 billion in 2026 to nearly $500 billion. Spending is expected to more than double from Microsoft’s $44.5 billion in 2024 to about $98 billion in 2026, and CFO Amy Hood told investors the company would work to balance its spending as it hopes to meet growing demand.

Further Reading Microsoft Plans First-Ever Voluntary Employee Buyout For Up To 7% Of U.S. Workforce (CNBC)

Microsoft Offers Buyouts To About 7% Of US Workers (Bloomberg)

Microsoft Issues First-Ever Employee Buyout—Here’s How Much Employees Might Receive

The software megacap has ramped up spending on AI in recent years to compete with its peers. Getty Images

[Don Green] Macrohard Saga Continues Message 35349912

Don Green — 12/5/2025 5:18:31 AM

[zax] Microsoft (543.88 +2.31%) got a 27% stake in OpenAI today!!! OpenAI Finalizes C...

zax — 10/28/2025 3:19:45 PM

Microsoft (543.88 +2.31%) got a 27% stake in OpenAI today!!!

OpenAI Finalizes Corporate Restructuring, Gives Microsoft 27% Stake and Technology Access Until 2032

slashdot.org

blogs.microsoft.com

[Affinity4Investing] Sounds like you have to change your default program that opens PDF files and Exc...

Affinity4Investing — 9/25/2025 2:43:24 PM

Sounds like you have to change your default program that opens PDF files and Excel files. Edge sucks. It tries to be the default program to open everything. Check your CONTROL PANEL, DEFAULT PROGRAMS - and make sure the default program is what you want it.

[Don Green] Microsoft is the most unloved Big Tech stock right now. Here’s how that could ch...

Don Green — 9/22/2025 10:33:43 PM

Microsoft is the most unloved Big Tech stock right now. Here’s how that could change.

Marketwatch

Story by Christine Ji

There could be a comeback in the cards for Microsoft Corp., whose stock has fallen to the bottom of the “Magnificent Seven” pecking order in the third quarter.

Ben Reitzes, an analyst at Melius Research, believes shares of Microsoft have sold off unfairly. Investors shouldn’t be surprised if Microsoft regains some momentum in the coming months, as the company has plenty of “ammunition” to surprise investors with, Reitzes wrote in a note on Monday.

Microsoft’s strong Azure cloud-computing business, expertise with artificial intelligence enterprise agents and partnership with OpenAI should help it command a “premium valuation” against rival Alphabet Inc. Reitzes argued.

Alphabet has emerged in recent weeks as the new Big Tech favorite, outperforming Microsoft by 40 percentage points since Jul. 1 of this year. The Alphabet rally came after strong Google Cloud growth, a favorable antitrust ruling, and, most recently, a surge in Gemini adoption.

But as the artificial-intelligence landscape continues to evolve, Reitzes believes investors will come back to Microsoft’s strong business fundamentals, especially in regards to its Azure cloud-computing business, which posted 39% growth last quarter. Since 2021, Microsoft shares have averaged a 44% premium to Google based on their price-to-earnings ratios, which Reitzes attributed to Microsoft’s higher operating margins, larger cloud business and “a core software business which that seems safer” than Google Search.

“Azure has been a share gainer in cloud revenue, and AI demand is accelerating that trend,” Reitzes wrote.

Also read: Microsoft’s stock has been in a rut since earnings. What’s going on?

Microsoft’s partnership with OpenAI may have injected uncertainty into its stock outlook as the AI company navigates its transition away from a nonprofit structure. OpenAI is making progress toward monetization as the two companies announced a nonbinding memorandum of understanding for a revised relationship last week. The partnership could make Microsoft better-positioned than Google to take advantage of the AI inferencing surge as OpenAI drives enormous inference workloads onto Azure and Microsoft receives a share of OpenAI revenue.

Further down the road, Microsoft is also poised to be a winner from the rise of AI agents in enterprise software, as Microsoft’s existing platform gives it the upper hand in automating workflows since most enterprises already run their businesses on its ecosystem, Reitzes argued.

Microsoft’s next earnings call could provide the catalysts needed for a comeback if the company provides more details on its Copilot AI tool ecosystem adoption, according to Reitzes. He said Azure can sustain growth levels in excess of 30% for several quarters to come, solidifying Azure’s lead over Google Cloud.

“If the AI contribution can drive upside to the forecasts for Azure in [fiscal year 2026] toward 40%, it would be cheered by the market,” Reitzes wrote. “Checks for Azure are showing no slowdown and Microsoft should make some compelling announcements around agents and Copilot at its Ignite conference in November.”

Reitzes gives Microsoft a price target of $625 and a buy rating.

Microsoft is the most unloved Big Tech stock right now. Here’s how that could change. © Getty Images

[Don Green] let’s map out engineer adoption scenarios for Macrohard. Since this is really ab...

Don Green — 9/21/2025 12:54:44 PM

let’s map out engineer adoption scenarios for Macrohard. Since this is really about psychology, incentives, and professional risk, I’ll break it into adoption categories, assign rough % ranges, and then show how each affects Macrohard’s trajectory.

Engineer Adoption Scenarios 1. True Believers (10–15%)

Profile: risk-takers, futurists, Musk fans, engineers who want to be at the bleeding edge.
Motivation: “If software is going to be rewritten by AI anyway, I’d rather be the one writing the AI.”
Risk tolerance: high — willing to risk their careers on Macrohard’s success.
Effect: ensures Macrohard has an initial talent base, even if the majority of engineers hesitate.

2. Pragmatic Opportunists (25–30%)

Profile: ambitious engineers who see career branding value (“I worked on Macrohard at launch”).
Motivation: resume power, short-term visibility, high pay/equity.
Risk tolerance: medium — they’ll join for 1–2 years, then bail if it looks unstable.
Effect: Macrohard can staff fast, but retention is fragile; talent churn risk is high.

3. Skeptical Majority (40–50%)

Profile: mainstream engineers at Microsoft, Google, startups.
Motivation: prefer stability, good benefits, proven roadmaps.
Risk tolerance: low — they’ll wait to see results before jumping ship.
Effect: slows Macrohard’s scale-up; it can’t absorb the bulk of engineering talent until trust is proven.

4. Resisters (15–20%)

Profile: engineers who see Macrohard as an existential threat to their profession.
Motivation: protect human-coded software, ethical worries, distrust of Musk.
Risk tolerance: N/A — they won’t join, may actively oppose or criticize the project.
Effect: fuels cultural backlash, may encourage regulatory pushback.

?? Adoption Impact on Macrohard’s Execution

Adoption MixEffect on MacrohardTime Horizon

High Believer + Opportunist intake (40%+)	Macrohard can ship prototypes quickly; risk of high churn later.	2025–2026 (proof of concept phase)
Majority stays skeptical (50%+)	Macrohard scales slower; credibility gap widens vs Microsoft.	2027–2028
Resister bloc grows (20%+)	Public narrative shifts: “Macrohard is killing software jobs.” Risk of regulation, reputational drag.	Anytime 2026–2029
Believers drop <10%	Macrohard risks becoming “just another Musk demo” with no sustainable talent pool.	2027+

?? Bottom Line

Macrohard can launch fast with Believers + Opportunists (30–40% pool), but long-term success depends on converting the Skeptical Majority.
If engineers perceive they are coding themselves out of a career, adoption will stall, and Macrohard risks being remembered as an audacious but failed experiment.
If Musk can prove Macrohard produces reliable, enterprise-grade products, adoption curves will flip — the Skeptical Majority will cross over, and the Resisters will shrink to a vocal minority.

a side-by-side projection of Macrohard’s adoption curve vs Microsoft’s developer loyalty curve — showing when/if engineers might switch camps. Want me to build that comparative timeline?

the paradox Macrohard highlights. On the surface it looks like an exciting leap forward, but the very engineers building it are accelerating their own obsolescence. That dynamic could actually slow Macrohard’s development, because:

?? Why Long-Term Prospects Feel Negative for Engineers

Self-Cannibalization
- If Macrohard’s goal is to prove software firms can run on AI agents, then each success reduces the need for human engineers.
- Talented developers know they’re coding the scaffolding that could remove their own future jobs.
Cultural Backlash
- Just like auto workers resisted automation, engineers may actively resist joining or supporting Macrohard.
- If the narrative becomes “Macrohard is killing software engineering,” talent pipelines could shrink dramatically.
Recruitment & Retention Risks
- Macrohard might attract early Believers and Opportunists (for hype, pay, resume clout), but keeping them motivated long term will be hard once they realize they’re training replacements.
- If Musk insists on “pure AI-only,” human engineers may bail quickly.
Pipeline Erosion
- Universities and bootcamps may see fewer enrollments in traditional CS/programming tracks if the perception grows that AI will soon handle most dev work.
- That reduces future innovation, because fewer people enter the field.

?? Potential Hamper on Development

Early momentum, then slowdown: Macrohard can probably staff enough to launch demos quickly, but sustaining long-term innovation is harder if engineers are hesitant to commit.
Oversight gap: If fewer humans want to work in AI-run firms, oversight, ethics, and governance could weaken, leading to buggy or unsafe systems.
Regulatory friction: Governments might step in faster if they sense widespread job displacement, slowing Macrohard’s scaling.

?? Projection

Short-term (1–2 years): Engineers join for hype, but churn is high.
Mid-term (3–5 years): If Macrohard shows real products and revenue, skepticism might flip — reluctant engineers may come aboard despite existential worries.
Long-term (5–10 years): If Macrohard succeeds too well, software engineering as a mass profession could shrink, leaving only a smaller pool of elite “AI supervisors.” That shrinks innovation diversity and might ironically hamper AI’s own growth curve.

ChatGPT

[Don Green] You seem to be missing the obvious Message 35262591

Don Green — 9/20/2025 9:51:41 PM

[engineer] not at all. the base level of AI is a much needed improvement of the state of th...

engineer — 9/20/2025 8:02:53 PM

not at all. the base level of AI is a much needed improvement of the state of the art.

The higher level of AI that allows it to run our lives, yes, I want heavy restrictions on it. I want restriction on the chatGPT that allowed a boy to kill himself. I want fully automated driving banned until it gets a ton way more models and processing power.

but the article you state is that Satella fears AI for the more mundane stuff and his coding and customer service groups.

as an engineer I can think of 100 uses for AI to improve and streamline engineering, development, user interface, technology, etc. These have only barely been tried.

for instance, QA checking and SW release regression testing, user debugging. Today the code is so complex that most firms throw basically beta code out to teh public and allow all of us to find agregious bugs and issues and then fix it when we submit "tickets". With AI they can release 1000 AI bots that try a ton of more stuff than a human ever could in a matter of a few days and come up with a 1000 item bug list pretty damm fast.

voice mail trees that are actualy intelligent and not these brainless chat bots that only know 20 things and now are trained to limit you. Try doing something slightly out of the ordinary and you have the 1 hour wait for a human. improve that by a ton, make alot of money.

I could write 20 more pages on ideas and places to use it. As I said, no vision.

[Don Green] so can assume you don't fear AI? as an engineer?

Don Green — 9/20/2025 7:39:32 PM

[engineer] and if he "fears" AI, he is going to lead them right back in. Peggy would have b...

engineer — 9/20/2025 6:01:24 PM

and if he "fears" AI, he is going to lead them right back in. Peggy would have been a much better choice.

[Don Green] what a really short sighted CEO he is. He is the guy that brought back MSFT fro...

Don Green — 9/20/2025 5:59:28 PM

what a really short sighted CEO he is.

He is the guy that brought back MSFT from a death spiral

[engineer] what a really short sigthed CEO he is. the advance in AI is about the same as t...

engineer — 9/20/2025 5:55:52 PM

what a really short sigthed CEO he is.

the advance in AI is about the same as the advance in the 90's from an ARPANET to a webscape internet. this paraoid response is the political scare de jour.

take Edge. the advent of copilot makes alot more sense for search, What a sea change. You used to (3-4 years ago) type in a search term, but then had to find the right leywords to get anything meaninful and even then it was simply a list of web page links for you to go search out the meaning, content, etc.

Now you ask a question with a full sentence and co pilot goes and scans 100 web sites and returns a great summary of the information along with real relevant links, not the links sponsored by google ads, but the true informational links.

So is this the AI he is afraid of? the one that made microsoft browser actually useable?

basically he has no clue and is reacting to a political rant.

[Don Green] Microsoft CEO Concerned AI Will Destroy the Entire Company Story by Victor Tang...

Don Green — 9/20/2025 5:09:34 PM

Microsoft CEO Concerned AI Will Destroy the Entire Company

Story by Victor Tangermann
•

Morale among employees at Microsoft is circling the drain, as the company has been roiled by constant rounds of layoffs affecting thousands of workers.

Some say they've noticed a major culture shift this year, with many suffering from a constant fear of being sacked — or replaced by AI as the company embraces the tech.

Meanwhile, CEO Satya Nadella is facing immense pressure to stay relevant during the ongoing AI race, which could help explain the turbulence. While making major reductions in headcount, the company has committed to multibillion-dollar investments in AI, a major shift in priorities that could make it vulnerable.

As The Verge reports, the possibility of Microsoft being made obsolete as it races to keep up is something that keeps Nadella up at night.

During an employee-only town hall last week, the CEO said that he was "haunted" by the story of Digital Equipment Corporation, a computer company in the early 1970s that was swiftly made obsolete by the likes of IBM after it made significant strategic errors.

Nadella explained that "some of the people who contributed to Windows NT came from a DEC lab that was laid off," as quoted by The Verge, referring to a proprietary and era-defining operating system Microsoft released in 1993.

His comments invoke the frantic contemporary scramble to hire new AI talent, with companies willing to spend astronomical amounts of money to poach workers from their competitors.

The pressure on Microsoft to reinvent itself in the AI era is only growing. Last month, billionaire Elon Musk announced that his latest AI project was called "Macrohard," a tongue-in-cheek jab squarely aimed at the tech giant.

"In principle, given that software companies like Microsoft do not themselves manufacture any physical hardware, it should be possible to simulate them entirely with AI," Musk mused late last month.

While it remains to be seen how successful Musk's attempts to simulate products like Microsoft's Office suite using AI will turn out to be, Nadella said he's willing to cut his losses if a product were to ever be made redundant.

"All the categories that we may have even loved for 40 years may not matter," he told employees at the town hall. "Us as a company, us as leaders, knowing that we are really only going to be valuable going forward if we build what’s secular in terms of the expectation, instead of being in love with whatever we’ve built in the past."

For now, Microsoft remains all-in on AI as it races to keep up. Earlier this year, Microsoft reiterated its plans to allocate a whopping $80 billion of its cash to supporting AI data centers — significantly more than some of its competitors, including Google and Meta, were willing to put up.

Complicating matters is its relationship with OpenAI, which has repeatedly been tested. OpenAI is seeking Microsoft's approval to go for-profit, and simultaneously needs even more compute capacity for its models than Microsoft could offer up, straining the multibillion-dollar partnership.

Last week, the two companies signed a vaguely-worded "non-binding memorandum of understanding," as they are "actively working to finalize contractual terms in a definitive agreement."

In short, Nadella's Microsoft continues to find itself in an awkward position as it tries to cement its own position and remain relevant in a quickly evolving tech landscape.

You can feel his anxiety: as the tech industry's history has shown, the winners will score big — while the losers, like DEC, become nothing more than a footnote.

More on Microsoft: After 9,000 Layoffs, Microsoft Boss Has Brutal Advice for Sacked Workers

The post Microsoft CEO Concerned AI Will Destroy the Entire Company appeared first on Futurism.

The possibility of Microsoft being made obsolete as it races to keep up is something that keeps

[Don Green] It’s about time [youtube video]

Don Green — 9/16/2025 5:24:52 AM

[zax] Microsoft Escapes EU Competition Probe by Unbundling Teams for Seven Years, Open...

zax — 9/14/2025 3:42:27 PM

Microsoft Escapes EU Competition Probe by Unbundling Teams for Seven Years, Opening API

slashdot.org

TechCrunch reports:

Thanks to a pledge to unbundle its corporate messaging app Teams from its productivity suites, Microsoft has managed to slip unscathed through a major antitrust investigation by the European Commission that could have resulted in massive fines for the tech giant.

The Commission on Friday okayed Microsoft's concessions to address the EU's competition concerns over the company including Teams along with the rest of its Office productivity suite for free, concluding a multi-year investigation that was sparked by complaints from rival office messaging app Slack in 2020. Microsoft has promised that for the next seven years, it will provide Microsoft 365 and Office 365 without Teams at a lower price and will let customers choose whether they want to pay more to add the collaboration app to the suites...

Microsoft is voluntarily offering some versions of both its productivity suites without Teams at a 50% lower price compared to versions that bundle the app, worldwide. And Microsoft dodged punitive measures and a big fine, as the Commission's penalties for breaching competition rules can reach up to 10% of annual global revenue — which, considering the tech giant last year recorded $245 billion in revenue, would have been truckloads of money.

The article adds one more interesting detail. "The Commission has also managed to get Microsoft to agree to open up its APIs to enable interoperability for key features between its suite and third-party messaging and collaboration tools, as well as let them export their data out of teams for the next five years..." The Commission's official announcement says this will "open up the market for other providers of communication and collaboration tools in Europe."

And Microsoft will also allow customers with long-term licenses the option of switching to a suite switch without Teams...

[Don Green] The New King? [youtube video]

Don Green — 8/4/2025 9:03:12 AM

[Don Green] Microsoft Surges on Robust Cloud Growth, Record AI Spending Story by Matt Day ...

Don Green — 7/31/2025 10:33:04 AM

Microsoft Surges on Robust Cloud Growth, Record AI Spending

Story by Matt Day

(Bloomberg) -- Microsoft Corp. said it will spend more than $30 billion in the current quarter to build out the data centers powering its artificial intelligence services.

Investors, applauding accelerating growth in the company’s cloud-computing unit, sent the shares up sharply.

The closely watched Azure division posted a 39% rise in sales during Microsoft’s fiscal fourth quarter, the company said in a statement on Wednesday. Analysts projected a 34% increase. The company’s forecast for growth in the current quarter also exceeded analyst estimates.

Microsoft said sales at the cloud division grew 34% to more than $75 billion during the year ended June 30, the first time the company has disclosed a revenue figure for Azure, which sells computing power and other services to businesses.

The results suggest that Microsoft, perhaps the most prodigious spender of the AI age, is starting to see a return in the form of rising sales.

The shares rose as much as 8.2% to $555.45 as the markets opened on Thursday, a new record high. Microsoft now has a market capitalization of more than $4 trillion, making it the second company after Nvidia Corp. to achieve that distinction.

On a call with analysts, Microsoft Chief Executive Satya Nadella said Copilot, the chatbot the company markets to individuals, businesses and coders, has more than 100 million monthly active users. Some 800 million customers interact with the AI features scattered through Microsoft’s products, Nadella said.

“Microsoft 365 Copilot is becoming the new way to organize work,” he said, referring to the company’s main business-focused chatbot.

Last week, Alphabet Inc.’s Google, which boasts billions of users of its Android smartphone software, said its Gemini AI assistant app had more than 450 million monthly active users. OpenAI’s ChatGPT has 500 million weekly active users, the company said in March.

Even as Microsoft made new disclosures about its AI business, the company abandoned its recent practice of detailing what portion of Azure’s growth was attributable to AI demand. Jonathan Neilson, a vice president of investor relations, said in an interview that such figures have become less relevant as use of AI-specific services like rentals of high-end graphics processing units increasingly spur customers to ramp up their use of other products like data storage or analytics.

Microsoft in the last few years has deployed AI tools, including those powered by OpenAI, across its products, betting that conversant chatbots and more powerful automation technology will boost sales of the company’s productivity software and cloud services.

That’s come at a steep cost, as Microsoft races to construct enough data centers to meet surging demand for generative AI training and tools.

The Redmond, Washington-based company’s capital expenditures during the recently completed quarter, $24.2 billion, were a record. It won’t stand for long. Chief Financial Officer Amy Hood said the company would spend upwards of $30 billion in the current quarter, which would be at least 50% more than the outlay during the same period a year earlier.

“We will continue to invest against the expansive opportunity ahead,” Hood said.

The quarter’s strong growth in Azure “could quell lingering investor concern over the company’s elevated capital spending,” Bloomberg Intelligence analysts Anurag Rana and Andrew Girard wrote in a note. “We expect this to give Microsoft greater justification to invest more in its AI business, with spending likely skewed heavier toward shorter-term assets like servers and GPUs.”

The company’s largest rivals in cloud services, Amazon.com Inc. and Alphabet have also announced massive expansion plans.

During its earnings report last week, Alphabet said robust demand for its AI services will require a significant increase in capital spending. Google’s parent company said 2025 capital expenditures will be $85 billion, or $10 billion greater than an earlier forecast.

Amazon is scheduled to report quarterly earnings on Thursday, and investors will be focused its own cloud results and capital spending.

Microsoft’s overall sales rose 18% to $76.4 billion during the quarter. Net income was $3.65 a share. Analysts on average estimated $73.9 billion in revenue and per-share earnings of $3.37.

--With assistance from Brody Ford.

(Updates shares in the sixth paragraph)
©2025 Bloomberg L.P.

Microsoft's Capital Spending Hits Records on AI Boom © Bloomberg

[Don Green] Great Video [youtube video]

Don Green — 4/28/2025 5:45:18 AM

[miraje] MSFT has been a drag on my portfolio lately and now this.. finance.yahoo.com A...

miraje — 11/27/2024 7:33:26 PM

MSFT has been a drag on my portfolio lately and now this..

finance.yahoo.com

Any thoughts as to what this could do to the stock price, short to medium term?

[waitwatchwander] OT: It's only the one reactor that didn't burn up. I believe that the other 2 ...

waitwatchwander — 9/20/2024 4:50:36 PM

OT: It's only the one reactor that didn't burn up. I believe that the other 2 were permanently decommissioned.

Subject 36035 (Introduction)

[John Koligman] MSFT makes a deal to restart Three Mile Island to provide power for datacenters....

John Koligman — 9/20/2024 12:21:36 PM

MSFT makes a deal to restart Three Mile Island to provide power for datacenters.

Constellation Energy to restart Three Mile Island nuclear plant, sell the power to Microsoft for AI
Published Fri, Sep 20 20247:22 AM EDTUpdated 53 Min Ago

Key Points

Constellation Energy plans to restart the Unit 1 reactor at Three Mile Island.
It will sell the power to Microsoft to support the power needs of data centers.
Unit 1 is separate from the reactor that partially melted down in 1979 in the worst nuclear accident in U.S. history.
Constellation will rename the plant the Crane Clean Energy Center.

Norma Field walks under power lines coming off of the nuclear plant on Three Mile Island (TMI), with the operational plant run by Exelon Generation, in Middletown, Pennsylvania.
Andrew Caballero-Reynolds | AFP | Getty Images

Constellation Energy plans to restart the Three Mile Island nuclear plant and will sell the power to Microsoft, demonstrating the immense energy needs of the tech sector as they build out data centers to support artificial intelligence.

Constellation expects the Unit 1 reactor at Three Mile Island near Middletown, Pennsylvania, to come back online in 2028, subject to approval by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, the company announced Friday. Constellation also plans to apply to extend the plant’s operations to at least 2054.

Constellation stock jumped about 15% in morning trading. Its shares have more than doubled year to date.

Microsoft will purchase electricity from the plant in a 20-year agreement to match the energy its data centers consume with carbon-free power. Constellation described the agreement with Microsoft as the largest power purchase agreement that the nuclear plant operator has ever signed.

“The decision here is the most powerful symbol of the rebirth of nuclear power as a clean and reliable energy resource,” Constellation CEO Joe Dominguez told investors on a call Friday morning.

Unit 1 ceased operations in 2019 as nuclear power struggled to compete economically with cheap natural gas and renewables. It is separate from the reactor that partially melted down in 1979 in the worst nuclear accident in U.S. history.

Constellation will rename the plant the Crane Clean Energy Center. The facility is named after Chris Crane, who was CEO of Constellation’s former parent company and died in April.

Constellation will invest $1.6 billion in restarting the plant through 2028, including on nuclear fuel, Chief Financial Officer Dan Eggers told investors during the call.

Tech hunts for nuclear
Electricity demand from data centers is expected to surge in the coming decades as the tech sector ramps up AI, threatening to strain the electric grid. While estimates vary, Goldman Sachs has forecast data centers will consume 8% of total U.S. electricity demand by 2030, compared with 3% currently.

Power demand is also surging from the expansion of domestic manufacturing and the adoption of electric vehicles. Rystad Energy has forecast that data center and electric vehicles alone will add 290 terawatt hours of electricity demand by the end of the decade, equivalent to the entire consumption of the nation of Turkey.

Tech companies are hunting for nuclear power to meet that growing electricity demand while adhering to their climate goals. In March, Amazon Web Services bought a data center campus from Talen Energy that will be powered by the Susquehanna nuclear plant, also in Pennsylvania, in a first-of-its-kind deal. Oracle recently said it is designing a data center that will be powered by three small nuclear reactors.

There is growing bipartisan support from federal and state governments to revive the nuclear industry after a decade-long wave of reactor shutdowns.

Three Mile Island would be the second nuclear plant to restart operations in U.S. history. The Palisades nuclear plant in Michigan would be the first, with that plant expected to return to service at the end of 2025.

Restart process
Constellation anticipates that the NRC will complete the review of Three Mile Island in 2027, Eggers said. The review includes a safety and environmental impact study.

“Based on our expertise on plant licensing and regulatory processes and through observation of the Palisades restart, we are highly confident we’ll be able to restore the plant’s operational licensing authority to the same state that existed prior to the shutdown in 2019,” Eggers said.

The nation’s largest grid operator, PJM Interconnection, will also have to review Three Mile Island’s impact on the grid before the nuclear plant can restart, Eggers said. Constellation plans to submit a grid interconnection request to PJM next year, the executive said.

Eggers said the plant could potentially restart earlier than expected if PJM embraces changes that speed up interconnection requests to address tightening power supplies in the 13-state, primarily mid-Atlantic region that the grid operator serves.

“In this rebirth, we see the most powerful sign that America will turn to the enduring promise of nuclear energy, an old and loyal ally that is renewed and ready to light the way forward,” Dominguez said.

[Don Green] us old timers who go all the way back to win 95 and before Actually back to CP...

Don Green — 8/27/2024 8:01:04 PM

us old timers who go all the way back to win 95 and before

Actually back to CPM

[engineer] thanks for that. Been working with my IT guy most of the day and he tried most o...

engineer — 8/27/2024 7:50:17 PM

thanks for that. Been working with my IT guy most of the day and he tried most of this. seems pretty strange that I have to go and do all these files, setup alot of stuff, click on so much and make all these mods, just to get it to work like windows 10.

All this to get rid of the "open with" button on the file popup. Seems MS hires young new people just to screw with us old timers who go all the way back to win 95 and before.

i just want to get work done......ms at times is my biggest adversary to that goal.

[Don Green] It sounds like your system is defaulting to Microsoft Edge for opening files fro...

Don Green — 8/27/2024 7:18:29 PM

It sounds like your system is defaulting to Microsoft Edge for opening files from an FTP archive. This can be frustrating, but there are a few steps you can take to resolve this issue:

1. **Check Default Apps by File Type**:
- Open the **Settings** app by clicking on the Start button and selecting the gear icon, or by using the Windows key + I keyboard shortcut.
- Go to **Apps** > **Default apps**.
- Scroll down and click on **Choose default apps by file type**.
- Find the file types you are having issues with (e.g., .pdf, .xlsx) and change the default app to Adobe Acrobat or Excel, respectively¹.

2. **Check Default Apps by Protocol**:
- In the **Default apps** settings, scroll down and click on **Choose default apps by protocol**.
- Look for **FTP** and ensure it is set to a program that supports FTP, like File Explorer².

3. **Edge Settings**:
- Open Microsoft Edge and type `edge://settings/defaultBrowser` in the address bar.
- Ensure that the **Allow sites to be reloaded in Internet Explorer mode** is set to **Allow**. This might help with some FTP links³.

4. **Registry Edit (Advanced)**:
- If the above steps don't work, you might need to edit the registry. This is more advanced and should be done carefully:
- Press **Windows key + R**, type `regedit`, and press Enter.
- Navigate to `HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\ftp\shell\open\command`.
- Modify the value to point to your preferred FTP client or file explorer.

If these steps don't resolve the issue, it might be worth checking for any updates or patches for your operating system or contacting Microsoft support for further assistance.

Let me know if you need any more help with this!

Source: Conversation with Copilot, 8/27/2024
(1) Why won't windows 11 let me change default ftp to my ftp program. answers.microsoft.com.
(2) ftp server keeps opening in Microsoft edge - Microsoft Q&A. learn.microsoft.com.
(3) How to Access an FTP Server from the Browser | ExaVault Blog. exavault.com.
(4) Every time I try to open a file in my FTP server (inside File Explore .... learn.microsoft.com.

Co-pilot

[engineer] has anyone on here run into the bug where when trying to open a file from an FTP...

engineer — 8/27/2024 7:05:38 PM

has anyone on here run into the bug where when trying to open a file from an FTP archive, it just dumps you off into edge? Not taking your pdf file to adobe, or you excel file to excel, but to edge?

MS has no clue any more.

Is there a help forum that might be good to check?

[engineer] has anyone on here run into the bug where when trying to open a file from an FTP...

engineer — 8/27/2024 7:05:06 PM

[Zen Dollar Round] That matters less than the overall market being elevated for months now and the ...

Zen Dollar Round — 8/3/2024 9:13:18 AM

That matters less than the overall market being elevated for months now and the larger economic picture.

With unemployment rising and the Fed not lowering rates by at least 25 basis points like they should have the other day, Mr. Market realized the significant possibility of a recession looms.

We are also entering a seasonally weak period in the stock market, further spooking investors.

Tech stock PE ratios are still elevated above historical norms as, so there is more air to be let out of this market. Market corrections are good for their long term health, as painful as they may be in the short term.

When things are elevated as they are, any news considered negative, "below estimates," or "disappointing" are used to sell the stock, no matter how good the other numbers are. MSFT is no different in that regard.

Be careful out there!

[Don Green] Microsoft says OpenAI is now a competitor in AI and search Jordan Novet [graphic...

Don Green — 8/1/2024 8:40:59 PM

Microsoft says OpenAI is now a competitor in AI and search
Jordan Novet

Microsoft’s relationship with OpenAI has officially become more complicated.

On Tuesday, Microsoft added the artificial intelligence startup to the list of competitors in the company’s latest annual report. It’s a roster that for years has included mega-cap peers Amazon, Apple, Google and Meta.

Microsoft has a long-term partnership with OpenAI, serving as its exclusive cloud provider and using its AI models in products for commercial clients and consumers. Microsoft is the biggest investor in OpenAI, having poured a reported $13 billion into the company.

But the new casting indicates they’re moving onto one another’s turf.

In the filing, Microsoft identified OpenAI, the creator of the ChatGPT chatbot, as a competitor in AI offerings and in search and news advertising. Last week OpenAI announced a prototype of a search engine called SearchGPT.

Some companies choose to pay OpenAI for access to its models. Others go through Microsoft’s Azure OpenAI Service. For those seeking an alternative to ChatGPT, Microsoft’s Copilot chatbot is also available through the Bing search engine and in Windows operating systems.

An OpenAI spokesperson told CNBC that nothing about the relationship between the two companies has changed and that their partnership was established with the understanding that they would compete. Microsoft remains a good partner to OpenAI, the spokesperson said.

Still, it’s been a drama-packed year.

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella reportedly wasn’t briefed before OpenAI’s board pushed out CEO Sam Altman in November. After Altman was quickly reinstated, OpenAI gave Microsoft a non-voting board seat. Microsoft relinquished the position earlier this month.

In March, Nadella brought on Mustafa Suleyman, a co-founder of DeepMind, an AI research company that predated OpenAI and was acquired by Google in 2014. Suleyman, who had co-founded and led startup Inflection AI, was named CEO of a new unit called Microsoft AI, and several Inflection employees joined him.

Nadella remains close to Altman.

“One of the things I love about Sam is every day he’s calling me and saying, ‘I need more, I need more, I need more,’” Nadella told The New York Times in a recent interview.

WATCH: OpenAI announces a search engine called SearchGPT

[SAM] I agree 100% SAM

SAM — 8/1/2024 12:00:06 PM

[Affinity4Investing] There wasn't any. That's the point - or one could say the disappointment is in t...

Affinity4Investing — 7/31/2024 1:01:45 PM

There wasn't any. That's the point - or one could say the disappointment is in the analyst monkey's that throw guessing darts at their boards. How a 29% increase is a disappointment just shows the absurdity of the game. MSFT is crushing it all and has been for years. They've got corporate America by the short hairs and everyone has seen what the switch to subscription based pricing has done to turn them around.

29% vs 31% for them is just a rounding error in the larger picture.

[waitwatchwander] Margins of error don't seem to be well understood by from wherever your answers ...

waitwatchwander — 7/31/2024 12:09:14 PM

Margins of error don't seem to be well understood by from wherever your answers are coming.

That's the next level of improvement required within AI.

All is quantifiable, even second derivatives.

[Don Green] I ask - where was the disappointment? Azure, grew 29% in the last quarter, bel...

Don Green — 7/31/2024 11:59:36 AM

I ask - where was the disappointment?

Azure, grew 29% in the last quarter, below what most analysts were looking for — and a slowdown from the 31% growth seen in the previous period.

[Affinity4Investing] Makes no sense at all for it to have been down over $30 last night. Just when I ...

Affinity4Investing — 7/31/2024 10:40:25 AM

Makes no sense at all for it to have been down over $30 last night. Just when I stepped in to buy, poof! Up it went and my trigger went unpulled.

So as always, I ask - where was the disappointment? From the company or the analysts and their guesses? Or is it just more opportunistic jerky shorts cratering the price only to turn around and buy buy buy?

Different day, same game. I've not sold a share since I started buying it @ $48.80/share.

[Don Green] Microsoft's earnings not as cloudy as hoped By Pete Gannon [graphic] Illustr...

Don Green — 7/30/2024 7:32:26 PM

Microsoft's earnings not as cloudy as hoped

By Pete Gannon

Illustration: Shoshana Gordon/Axios

Microsoft's AI-powered cloud business, Azure, grew 29% in the last quarter, below what most analysts were looking for — and a slowdown from the 31% growth seen in the previous period.

Why it matters: Microsoft's results are the latest test for Big Tech around AI monetization.

By the numbers: The company's Intelligent Cloud segment, which includes the Azure public cloud, generated $28.5 billion in the quarter, up 19% — but disappointing investors.

Shares fell as much as 7.8% after the bell following the report.
A ripple effect was felt among other names in the Magnificent Seven, with Alphabet, Meta and Apple shares also slipping in after-hours trading.

Meanwhile, Microsoft continued to spend more itself, largely on AI-related initiatives.

It spent $19 billion on total capex in the quarter, up 78% from a year ago and 36% from the last quarter.
Alphabet (about $12 billion last quarter), Meta (reporting tomorrow), and Apple and Amazon (reporting Thursday) are also making huge investments in AI — and there's already some skepticism about whether they'll ever get the necessary levels of revenue to justify it, Axios' Kia Kokalitcheva writes.

The intrigue: Microsoft's Azure cloud service suffered an outage today, which the company attributed to an "unexpected usage spike."

[Don Green] Microsoft Chose Profit Over Security and Left U.S. Government Vulnerable to Russ...

Don Green — 6/13/2024 6:33:13 AM

Microsoft Chose Profit Over Security and Left U.S. Government Vulnerable to Russian Hack, Whistleblower Says
by Renee Dudley, with research by Doris Burke June 12, 2024

Message 34699357

[Don Green] Windows 12: Release Date, Latest News, Leaks & Prices Updated on 29 April 2024 ...

Don Green — 4/30/2024 7:00:14 PM

Windows 12: Release Date, Latest News, Leaks & Prices

Updated on 29 April 2024

Microsoft has been caught up in a romance with generative AI. So, it’s no surprise that our attention may have been pulled away from the traditional cycle of its Windows releases.

However, speculations suggest a change to the tech giant’s operating system may be back on track.

After the release of Windows 11 in 2021, rumors have been circulating about Microsoft’s Windows 12 release date. Initially, it seemed like Microsoft was gearing up for a 2024 release, following the same roadmap as Windows 11 with a June announcement and October launch. However, the rumor mill has gone eerily quiet in the first quarter of 2024, leaving us wondering what’s next for the future of Windows.

Despite Microsoft’s tight-lipped approach, Windows 12 leaks suggest that an announcement is looming on the horizon. But since there seems to be a great deal of secrecy tied to official Windows 12 news, we’re left to piece together the clues and speculate about what’s to come.

In this article, we’ll explore everything we know so far about Windows 12 leaks, from its potential release date and pricing to its rumored features and system requirements.

Key Takeaways

Windows 12 is expected to be released in the second half of 2024, based on Microsoft’s typical release cycles.
AI capabilities are anticipated to be a major focus in Windows 12, building on the AI features introduced in the Windows 11 update.
Windows 12 may reintroduce ads in the Start menu, following the recent introduction (and subsequent removal) of ads in a Windows 11 update.
Hardware requirements for Windows 12 are likely to be more demanding than previous versions, requiring faster CPUs, more RAM, solid-state drives, and graphics cards compatible with DirectX 12 or later for a better run.
While Microsoft may offer Windows 12 as a free upgrade for existing Windows 11 or 10 users, new purchases are likely to follow a pricing structure similar to Windows 11.

Table of Contents

When is Windows 12 Being Released?Estimated Launch: July-October 2024The million-dollar question on everyone’s mind is: When is Windows 12 coming out? While Microsoft has remained silent about the release date, rumors and speculation are rife.

Based on the company’s previous release playbook and leaks, we estimate that Windows 12 will launch in the second half of 2024. This would put the release date around July-October 2024, aligning with Microsoft’s traditional launch windows.

Perhaps the most compelling evidence of a 2024 release came from Intel’s chief financial officer, Dave Zinsner, who, in an interview last year, predicted a surge in PC sales driven by the ’arrival of Windows 12 next year.’

New Windows 12 FeaturesAI Could Be the Focal Point of Windows 12Microsoft has never been shy about its intention to bring artificial intelligence capabilities to its Windows OS. So, we don’t expect this to change in Windows 12.

Although nothing is officially confirmed, it’s exciting to consider the possibility of having more AI features than we currently have in Windows 11.

Building on the foundation laid by Windows 11’s 23H2 update, which introduced Microsoft Copilot to Windows, Windows 12 could take AI capabilities to new heights. Copilot has already demonstrated its ability to provide a more personalized and efficient experience, and future updates could further enhance its ability to control and interact with the PC.

One potential area of improvement is the expansion of AI-powered search capabilities, similar to those seen in Windows 11’s Taskbar, where users can easily use the search icon to look up content across Microsoft 365.

Additionally, the Recommended section in File Explorer, which suggests files and folders based on user behavior, could be further refined and expanded with better AI algorithms.

Search on the taskbar in Windows 11: (Microsoft)Search on the taskbar in Windows 11: (Microsoft)

Another possibility is the integration of AI to suggest user actions using a virtual assistant that can anticipate user needs and provide recommendations accordingly. This type of AI, designed to understand user intentions, has the potential to bring out the best of AI-human interaction on Windows PCs.

While these ideas are purely speculative and we are yet to see an official Windows 12 concept out there, it’s clear that AI will influence a lot of changes.

Will Ads Return to Windows 12 Start Menu?Microsoft recently released a Windows 11 update that introduced ads in the Start menu. While they’ve pulled the plug on this feature, there are still concerns that it might become a permanent addition in future versions, including Windows 12.

The ads, displayed in the Recommended section, promote Microsoft Store apps from a select group of developers, aiming to facilitate app discovery. While this update may enhance user experience, it remains to be seen whether Start menu ads will become a standard feature in future Windows versions.

What Hardware Will I Need to Run Windows 12?While Microsoft has not said anything about its Windows 12 system requirements, we can make some educated guesses based on the current trends and technological advancements.

Firstly, due to AI-laden features expected to come with the new Windows, it’s likely that users will require nothing less than 1 gigahertz (GHz) in CPU speed, a 64-bit processor, with 2 or more cores, a minimum of 4-8 GB of RAM with 16 GB or more to run Windows 12.

In terms of storage, a solid-state drive (SSD) will be the preferred choice, given its faster read and write speeds compared to traditional hard disk drives (HDDs). A minimum of 256 GB of storage will likely be required, with 512 GB or more recommended for users with large file collections.

Graphics requirements will likely be more demanding, with a minimum graphics card that is compatible with DirectX 12 (DX12) or later.

Will There Be Different Versions of Windows 12?Similar to its predecessors, Windows 12 is likely to come in Home and Pro versions, perhaps with different aliases. This will be to cater to end consumer and high-end user preferences. So, it should not come as a surprise if Microsoft decides to version Windows 12 following this classification.

We can also expect varying levels of features, security, and support, in the versions as we currently have in Windows 11. As with previous Windows releases, the exact editions and their features will be announced by Microsoft closer to the release date.

Windows 12 PriceFree Upgrade & Premium Options?With many software releases following a subscription model, it’s not out of place to wonder if Microsoft would come up with a Windows 12 subscription model rather than its current license purchase model.

There is no evidence alluding to this, so it’s safer to assume that Microsoft will offer Windows 12 as a free optional upgrade, similar to what it did with Windows 11. This means that users with a valid license for Windows 11 or possibly even Windows 10 may be able to upgrade to the latest operating system at no additional cost.

However, for those who wish to purchase a standalone copy of Windows 12, Microsoft will likely follow the pricing pattern on its Windows 11.

If this becomes the case, we can expect Windows 12 Home to cost over $139 currently charged for Windows 11 Home. Windows 12 Pro could cost around $199.99 or more. This pricing structure is consistent with Microsoft’s previous releases, and it’s likely that Windows 12 will follow suit.

The Bottom LineIf you’re a Windows user or enthusiast, the possibility of having more AI functions to tinker with in a new Windows could be exciting. While details are scarce on Microsoft’s plans for a future Windows operating system iteration, what we do know is that the tech giant consistently strives to innovate and improve user experience with each new version and we look forward to an official Windows 12 preview.

And with AI lurking around every software, there is no reason not to expect more of it when the official Windows 12 release hits the news.

But beyond AI, Microsoft will likely aim to optimize performance, improve security features, and ensure seamless compatibility with apps as they forge ahead with the future of their flagship product.

And no, we have no suggestions about what the Windows 12 logo looks like yet.

FAQs

When is Windows 12 coming out?

What will Windows 12 look like?

Will Microsoft Windows 12 require a subscription?

Is there a Windows 12 Beta?

[Don Green] Microsoft will invest US$1.7B over the next four years in cloud and AI infrastru...

Don Green — 4/30/2024 9:57:33 AM

Microsoft will invest US$1.7B over the next four years in cloud and AI infrastructure in Indonesia, marking the biggest amount of funding in Microsoft’s 29-year history in the country.
It will bring AI upskilling opportunities for 840,000 people and help the Indonesian government achieve its ‘2045 Vision’ to make the country a global economic powerhouse.
Plus, it’ll allow Indonesia to capitalize on the opportunities presented by AI (expected to be $366B) and enable Microsoft to meet the growing cloud computing demandin Indonesia.

[miraje] One would think that savvy traders would have learned by now that shorting Mr So...

miraje — 4/25/2024 4:40:45 PM

One would think that savvy traders would have learned by now that shorting Mr Softy before earnings is not a smart trade. With few exceptions, MSFT has always played the Street like a fiddle since the get go..

[Sr K] BOSTON — (AP) — In a scathing indictment of Microsoft corporate security and tra...

Sr K — 4/3/2024 11:30:31 PM

BOSTON — (AP) — In a scathing indictment of Microsoft corporate security and transparency, a Biden administration-appointed review board issued a report Tuesday saying "a cascade of errors" by the tech giant let state-backed Chinese cyber operators break into email accounts of senior U.S. officials including Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo.

The Cyber Safety Review Board, created in 2021 by executive order, describes shoddy cybersecurity practices, a lax corporate culture and a lack of sincerity about the company's knowledge of the targeted breach, which affected multiple U.S. agencies that deal with China.

It concluded that “Microsoft's security culture was inadequate and requires an overhaul" given the company's ubiquity and critical role in the global technology ecosystem. Microsoft products “underpin essential services that support national security, the foundations of our economy, and public health and safety.”

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The panel said the intrusion, discovered in June by the State Department and dating to May "was preventable and should never have occurred," blaming its success on "a cascade of avoidable errors." What's more, the board said, Microsoft still doesn't know how the hackers got in.

The panel made sweeping recommendations, including urging Microsoft to put on hold adding features to its cloud computing environment until “substantial security improvements have been made.”

It said Microsoft's CEO and board should institute “rapid cultural change” including publicly sharing “a plan with specific timelines to make fundamental, security-focused reforms across the company and its full suite of products.”

In a statement, Microsoft said it appreciated the board’s investigation and would “continue to harden all our systems against attack and implement even more robust sensors and logs to help us detect and repel the cyber-armies of our adversaries.”

In all, the state-backed Chinese hackers broke into the Microsoft Exchange Online email of 22 organizations and more than 500 individuals around the world including the U.S. ambassador to China, Nicholas Burns — accessing some cloud-based email boxes for at least six weeks and downloading some 60,000 emails from the State Department alone, the 34-page report said. Three think tanks and foreign government entities, including a number of British organizations, were among those compromised, it said.

Excerpt

I agree

It's important to note
Stock sales don't necessarily indicate negative sentiment towards a company. Gates remains involved with Microsoft and believes in its future.
The specific reasons for each sale can be complex and involve various factors.

I do the same thing... except at a much smaller scale.

I bought my first MSFT shares in 1993 after I was sent to WESCON in Vegas to scope out the competition and meet with a few customers before we would release our IrDA infrared link for laptops, printers and such to fill in before Bluetooth was expected to come down in price in the next decade.

Anyway, I saw how useful MSFT products were for my use as an HP engineer and even more useful as a project leader. That show helped convince me they would be useful to all the people who were not engineers but would buy all these personal computers coming down in price so regular people could afford them soon.

All the stock I have left in my taxable account has a cost basis of $2.42 and it also goes up faster than I take profits... Recently I sold all the shares I bought in my IRA and ROTH IRA, many bought in the $20s when it was out of favor before Nadel took over (as CEO... he was doing well there before that) to concentrate on a new growth market, as a way to diversify from one of my largest holdings.

[Don Green] Bill Gates and His Microsoft Stock: A History of Sales and Diversification dg>>...

Don Green — 2/5/2024 2:55:51 PM

Bill Gates and His Microsoft Stock: A History of Sales and Diversification

dg>> At a time when Microsoft stock increases since 2016 has made it almost impossible for him reduce his net worth, lol! What a problem!

Bill Gates has been selling Microsoft stock monthly for decades, there have been significant divestments over the years. Here's a breakdown:

Early Years (1975-1986): Gates held the majority of Microsoft stock after its founding. At the 1986 IPO, he owned 49%, making him an instant multi-millionaire.

Peak Ownership and Diversification (1986-2000): As Microsoft boomed, Gates' wealth grew, but he also began diversifying his portfolio through his investment firm, Cascade. He started selling small amounts of Microsoft stock, but remained the largest individual shareholder for many years.

Stepping Back and Continued Sales (2000-2022): After stepping down as CEO in 2000 and focusing on philanthropy, Gates gradually sold more Microsoft stock. He donated significant portions to the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, further diversifying his wealth. In 2014, he ceased being the largest shareholder.

Recent Activity (2022-Present): In 2022, Gates announced a $20 billion donation to his foundation, likely involving more Microsoft stock sales. His exact holdings are unknown, but he's estimated to own around 1% of the company currently.

Key Points:

Gates hasn't sold Microsoft stock monthly for decades, but there have been consistent sales over time.
Sales were often used for diversification and philanthropy.
He's no longer the largest shareholder but remains a significant investor.

It's important to note:

Stock sales don't necessarily indicate negative sentiment towards a company. Gates remains involved with Microsoft and believes in its future.
The specific reasons for each sale can be complex and involve various factors.

Further Resources:

Bill Gates Portfolio: gurufocus.com
Bill Gates Transferred Billions Of Dollars' Worth Of These Two Stocks To The Gates Foundation: forbes.com
Bill Gates Donates Microsoft Stock Worth $4.6 Billion: philanthropynewsdigest.org

Source BARD

I think you are underestimating the value of not cashing out his stock and running after he left MSFT. He basically did what good capitalists do and lent capital to the company by not crashing the stock price by cashing out. It is why capital gains are taxed at a lower rate as we risk the value vanishing if companies are mismanaged while we can't buy things with the money we have in stock. Also, if we are successful, we are hammered in the US with significantly higher taxes including higher payments to Medicare insurance and taxes on our Social Security benefits. IF we had spent it all and only got Social Security in retirement, we'd pay much less in taxes overall.

Silicon Investor - Microsoft Corp. - Moderated (MSFT)

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