Ex-Microsoft VP: Company missed AI wave like internet, mobile
Original: Former Microsoft VP says Microsoft missed the AI wave like the internet and mobile, as Copilot scales back in Windows 11
Why This Matters
Highlights potential disconnect between Microsoft's AI investments and user adoption
Former Microsoft VP Mat Velloso claims Microsoft has fundamentally failed in AI strategy despite multi-billion investments. Copilot has less than 3% active usage among paying users, while Bing gained no search market share from Google despite major AI integration.
Mat Velloso, former Microsoft VP and technical advisor to CEO Satya Nadella, says Microsoft has "missed the AI wave" similar to previous failures with internet and mobile. Despite aggressive multi-billion dollar AI investments and Copilot integration across Windows 11, Microsoft 365, and GitHub, actual user adoption remains critically low. Velloso reports less than 3% of paying users actively use Copilot, while Bing failed to capture any search market share from Google despite being Microsoft's biggest AI bet. The former executive, who later worked at Google DeepMind and Meta's Superintelligence Labs, calls for a massive internal "factory reset" at Microsoft. His criticism comes as Microsoft suddenly pivots to prioritizing user feedback after years of ignoring customer requests.