Microsoft

OpenAI, Google, Microsoft and Anthropic announced they will adopt a new IETF‑backed standard that lets publishers opt out of AI scraping. The mechanism, a “policy token” inserted into a site’s robots.txt file, signals to all major AI systems that the content should not be used for training. Kevin Kelley, Anthropic’s standards lead, developed the token as part of the Internet Engineering Task Force. By placing a single token, site owners can set their AI‑training preferences once and have it respected by every participating company, rather than configuring each crawler separately. The move follows earlier reports that publishers have struggled to control how their content is harvested for machine‑learning models.

The Nasdaq 100 is under pressure, with market analysts warning that the sector’s value could fall by more than $2 trillion this month. The threat stems from a surge in artificial‑intelligence spending by the biggest names in the index. Meta and Alphabet have announced higher AI budgets, raising doubts about the profitability of these investments. In contrast, Microsoft and SpaceX have reported positive results, offering a glimmer of stability amid a broader market decline. Investors are now scrutinizing whether the continued AI push can sustain growth or whether it will erode shareholder value. The debate highlights the tension between innovation spending and short‑term financial performance in the technology sector.

The Wikimedia Foundation has filed an amicus brief in a landmark AI copyright case, urging courts to strike a balance between protecting large language models and preventing chatbots from regurgitating copyrighted work. The nonprofit, which operates Wikipedia, is concerned that an overly black-and-white ruling could either deprive Wikipedians of useful AI-based tools or endanger the open web. In its brief, Wikimedia Foundation takes neither side in the lawsuit, which pits publishers including The New York Times against OpenAI and Microsoft. The foundation is pushing for a middle ground, where large language models training on copyrighted work are legally protected, but chatbots that simply regurgitate that work to users are not. This approach aims to preserve the benefits of AI-based tools while preventing the exploitation of copyrighted material. The case is a significant test of the intersection of AI and copyright law, with implications for the future of online content and the open web.

Microsoft announced that its fiscal second‑quarter Azure cloud growth will reach 49‑50%, topping the 47.6% estimate from analysts, and that total sales will hit $96‑$97.1 billion, above the $95.6 billion forecast. The company posted $18.6 billion in free cash flow for the first quarter, $10 billion more than expected, and Azure revenue rose to $33.17 billion, beating estimates of $32.84 billion. After the announcement, Microsoft shares climbed more than 5% in after‑hours trading, adding to a 9% year‑to‑date gain. The results underscore the return on Microsoft’s heavy AI investment, contrasting with Alphabet and Meta, whose AI‑driven capital spending has squeezed free cash flow and pushed shares lower. Microsoft is expanding lower‑cost AI models and the new Copilot Cowork agent to meet corporate demand, reinforcing its position as a leading AI‑enabled cloud provider.

Microsoft is offering voluntary buyouts to around 60,000 employees across the US, UK, Canada, and India. This move is part of the company's effort to avoid reducing investment in AI infrastructure by lowering operating costs. The buyouts are an expansion of a previous retirement offer that was limited to around 9,000 employees earlier this year. Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella has been emphasizing the impact of AI on the company's workforce in recent years. The buyouts are a clear sign that AI is changing the size of Microsoft's workforce, but the company has not specified how many jobs will be affected. The move is part of Microsoft's ongoing effort to adapt to the changing landscape of technology and AI.

Asian shares gave up earlier gains on Thursday as AI-related earnings announcements prompted mixed responses. In Hong Kong, the Hang Seng Index opened down six points, or 0.03 percent, at 23,088. Samsung Electronics reported a nearly ninefold increase in operating profit, driven by robust demand for AI chips, but its shares still slid more than four percent. Alphabet's shares fell 10 percent in after-hours trading after a hefty cash burn, while Microsoft's shares rose three percent after beating forecasts with better-than-expected cash flows. The US Federal Reserve held interest rates steady, but two committee members voted for a hike, and Chairman Kevin Warsh's confident note on the inflation outlook sparked a rally in Treasuries.

Microsoft released its first quarter of the 2027 fiscal year, reporting $92.3 billion in revenue and $33.6 billion in net income. Revenue rose 19 percent and net income climbed 32 percent from the same period a year earlier. The company also announced a new financial reporting structure, moving from three segments—Productivity and Business Processes, Intelligent Cloud, and More Personal Computing—to just two: Agents and Infra, and Devices and Consumer. The Agents and Infra segment now groups key cloud businesses such as Azure and other enterprise services. The Devices and Consumer segment covers hardware and consumer‑facing products. This reorganization reflects Microsoft’s focus on its cloud and device ecosystems and provides a clearer view of its core revenue streams.

8BitDo has released the Ultimate 3E, a $150 controller designed for Xbox and PC that pushes the envelope of customization. The unit features drift‑proof TMR joysticks, extra shoulder buttons, rear paddles, motion‑control support, and modular buttons and joysticks. Its refined design competes directly with Microsoft’s pricier Xbox Elite Series 2 and the company’s own $60 Ultimate 2, offering a broader feature set at a mid‑tier price point. While the controller’s sleek construction shows wear easily, its array of programmable inputs and high‑quality components positions it as a serious contender for gamers seeking deeper control without the Elite Series’ premium cost. The Ultimate 3E’s launch expands the options available to players who want a highly customizable experience without breaking the bank.

Hong Kong’s benchmark Hang Seng Index opened higher, gaining 63 points to 23,156, while the tech index rose 16 points to 3,888 and the China enterprises index climbed 21 points to 7,777. Asian markets overall slipped, with Shanghai Composite down 19 points to 3,671, Shenzhen Component falling 113 points to 11,560, and ChiNext dropping 38 points to 2,645. Tokyo’s Nikkei opened 243 points lower at 62,449, and Seoul’s Kospi fell 51 points to 5,499. AI‑linked firms face scrutiny as investors question the sustainability of the massive investment boom, with rising interest rates and bond yields raising doubts about corporate finances. This week’s earnings cycle will feature Amazon, Microsoft, Alphabet, SK hynix, Samsung, Tesla and Meta, while policy decisions from the U. S. Federal Reserve, European Central Bank and Bank of Japan loom.

Microsoft has announced voluntary buyout packages for up to 60,000 staff across the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, and India. Chief people officer Amy Coleman explained that the program provides financial support and career‑planning resources to employees who choose to leave. The company is pursuing a workforce reduction without a new round of layoffs, targeting a broad range of departments—including AI experiences, Copilot, CoreAI, Windows + Devices, Xbox, finance, and human resources. Eligible employees can accept the offer at any time, after which Microsoft will formalize their exit and begin the transition. The move signals a shift toward a more structured, employee‑centric approach to downsizing, aiming to mitigate the disruption of traditional layoffs while still trimming headcount.

Microsoft’s latest data and AI agents are now helping TK Elevator’s service technicians in Cologne access decades of shared knowledge. The new system pulls relevant information from the company’s vast knowledge base, allowing technicians to find answers quickly and focus on maintenance tasks. By streamlining the search process, the platform reduces the time technicians spend troubleshooting and increases the time they spend keeping people moving. The integration of Microsoft’s technology into TK Elevator’s workflow demonstrates how AI can enhance operational efficiency in complex infrastructure maintenance. Technicians can now resolve issues faster, lowering equipment downtime and improving service reliability across the company’s fleet of elevators and escalators.

Xbox's first chief operating officer, Helen Chiang, has left Microsoft after a brief tenure that began in July. The 21‑year veteran, who previously led the Minecraft division, was promoted to the new role in a move that aimed to streamline operations across the gaming division. CEO Asha Sharma announced the departure in a short internal memo, thanking Chiang for her service. With Chiang’s exit, her day‑to‑day duties are being redistributed among existing Xbox leaders, including the chief strategy officer and the head of product. The reshuffle follows a rapid creation of the COO position, suggesting a reevaluation of executive structure within Xbox. The company will now rely on its senior team to maintain continuity while it considers the next step for the role.

Microsoft’s upcoming Project Helix is slated for a 2028 holiday release, with internal projections placing the console’s starting price between $1,200 and $1,800. The company plans a dual‑release strategy, launching a next‑generation handheld by the end of next year before the full console. Fortune reports that Microsoft could lower the price if it chooses to subsidize the cost, a tactic used by past console makers. The high price reflects broader industry trends: the slowdown of Moore’s Law and shortages of AI‑driven components have made cutting‑edge gaming hardware more expensive. For context, the Steam Machine recently surpassed a $1,000 starting price, the PS5 Pro now sells at $900, and the Xbox Series X starts at $750.

Xbox CEO Asha Sharma has outlined plans for additional layoffs this month, in November, and in January, according to Fortune. The move follows a July announcement that Microsoft would cut 3,200 Xbox employees during its 2027 fiscal year, including 1,600 staff in July and about 260 in September. Sharma’s restructuring also saw Double Fine and Compulsion Games spun off as independent studios, while the Senua developer Ninja Theory faces potential closure. Industry observers note speculation that Xbox could be spun off or sold, with Microsoft’s commercial leadership, including Judson Althoff, weighing in on the future of the division.

Microsoft's Surface Laptop Ultra has been delivering on its promises, showcasing impressive capabilities such as summarizing books and movies, generating images, and running a 70-billion-parameter AI model. The laptop also plays AAA games at high speed and fidelity on an ARM system. Microsoft is betting on a single machine that can handle both gaming and development needs, targeting the high-performance audience. This move comes at a time when the personal computing industry is experiencing a decline in PC shipments, with a 20 percent drop in the third quarter of 2026. The Surface Laptop Ultra's combination of performance and versatility may appeal to PC enthusiasts looking for a new hardware option.

Microsoft and Nvidia unveiled the first wave of RTX Spark laptops at a launch party in San Francisco last week, showcasing a new line of AI‑focused PCs that look like standard Windows machines but are powered by Arm‑based processors instead of the traditional x64 chips from AMD and Intel. The event highlighted the collaboration between the two companies to optimize Windows for the RTX Spark platform, which pairs the Arm CPU with a powerful GPU to meet the demands of next‑generation AI workloads. Nvidia’s follow‑up event revealed additional details about the platform’s architecture and the extensive work required to bring these laptops to market.

Microsoft, in cooperation with Japan’s National Police Agency, cybersecurity firms, and the nonprofit Health‑ISAC, has taken down three critical components of a Chinese‑language cybercrime marketplace that sells phishing kits. The dismantled parts—YAM Store, CoGUI, and Iron Man—were responsible for enabling more than one billion malicious messages sent to over 75,000 organizations worldwide, including 750 million messages aimed at Microsoft customers. The kits provided ready‑made templates that let attackers impersonate a wide range of entities—from government agencies to banks and parcel delivery services—in multiple languages. By removing these infrastructure nodes, Microsoft and its partners have made it harder for criminals to acquire the accounts, tools, and hosting services they need to launch phishing campaigns across more than 150 countries, thereby disrupting a major source of cyber‑crime revenue.

Microsoft is officially embracing the chaos of AI-powered game mods with the creation of Xbox Labs. This new group will explore the rapid emergence of mods that use AI models to remix classic games in new ways. The move comes after witnessing the creation of unusual game combinations, such as skateboarding in Call of Duty and Halo in a web browser. Xbox Labs aims to delve into this new era of game modding, which has been made possible by decompilations and recompilations.

Microsoft has announced its third-generation Maia in-house AI chip, designed to be the primary AI inference system for its products and services. The Maia 300 chip aims to improve the cost and efficiency of running AI workloads in the cloud, with enhanced capabilities for handling the latest reasoning models and agentic tasks. Microsoft expects Maia 300 to deliver improved performance compared to leading GPU-based systems, with Scott Guthrie, executive vice president of Microsoft's cloud group, stating that the chip will be rolled out to production in 2027. The Maia 300 has been designed with efficiency in mind, with Microsoft highlighting its potential to handle complex AI tasks.

Amazon announced it will no longer use non‑disclosure agreements when negotiating data‑center contracts with local governments, a move that mirrors Microsoft’s earlier decision. The change comes amid growing community opposition to the secrecy surrounding AI infrastructure projects, which has spurred hundreds of moratoriums and regulatory proposals across the United States—from New York to San Francisco. By removing NDAs, Amazon aims to increase transparency and address concerns that confidential negotiations hinder public scrutiny. The company’s shift may influence how other tech firms approach local government deals and could affect the pace of AI‑related infrastructure development.

Microsoft has announced that its AI‑powered Office features, including Copilot, will no longer be limited to the primary account holder on Microsoft 365 Family and Premium plans. The company’s email to subscribers, seen by The Verge, explains that the new changes will allow the primary user to share Copilot and AI usage benefits with up to five additional people on the same plan. The rollout is expected to occur over the coming months, giving families and teams the ability to use AI tools across all devices without needing separate subscriptions. This update follows last year’s bundling of AI features into Personal and Family plans, which previously restricted access to the main account holder.

At its Gemini at Work event on Thursday, Google announced a new Gemini AI agent that operates as a single, cloud‑based interface for work tasks. The agent is integrated into the Gemini Enterprise app, allowing users to chat with it and assign tasks from one place. It can work directly inside Google Workspace applications—Gmail, Drive, Docs, Sheets, Calendar, and more—while also being accessible from mobile devices, desktop computers, the web, and third‑party platforms such as Slack and Microsoft 365. Because the agent runs in the cloud, it maintains consistent context across all these environments, enabling smoother collaboration and task management.

Microsoft Corp. announced that it will publish its fiscal year 2027 first‑quarter financial results after the market close on Wednesday, Oct. 28, 2026. The company will post the results on its Investor Relations website and host a live webcast of the earnings conference call at 2:30 p. m. Pacific Time. Microsoft, a leading AI‑powered technology provider, highlighted its commitment to broad, responsible AI deployment and its mission to empower individuals and organizations worldwide. Investors and analysts can access the release and webcast through the links and contact information provided by Microsoft’s Investor Relations team.

GitHub’s latest blog post notes that one in three pull requests now involve an AI agent, up from less than one in ten a year ago. If the trend continues, most code pushed in the next two years could be AI‑generated and may never be fully reviewed by a human. To keep pace, GitHub and Microsoft Applied Sciences have released a fine‑tuned classifier that scans push candidates in under two milliseconds, potentially doubling the number of secrets caught before they reach public repositories. The data also shows that while the volume of screened pushes and credential‑carrying pushes has risen, the per‑push prevalence of secrets has not increased, and developers are overriding fewer push‑path blocks, indicating heightened caution. These findings underscore the need for automated, scalable secret‑protection tools as AI‑assisted coding accelerates.

At a San Francisco event, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, and Windows & Surface chief Pavan Davuluri discussed how local AI will shape the next chapter of the PC. The companies announced the new RTX Spark platform, designed to boost local AI models, creative applications, and gaming on a series of upcoming laptops. Nvidia’s GPU technology is being integrated into devices such as the Surface Laptop Ultra, highlighting the partnership’s focus on delivering high‑performance AI directly on the device. The event underscored Microsoft’s ongoing mission to bring advanced AI capabilities to everyday PCs.

Microsoft is hosting an event in San Francisco to discuss the future of Windows and Surface. The event will feature Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, and Windows and Surface chief Pavan Davuluri. They will discuss the impact of local AI on the PC and showcase new products, including the Surface Laptop Ultra with Nvidia's Arm-based chips. The keynote will start at 10AM PT / 1PM ET on October 7th.

During a company all‑hands meeting, Xbox CEO Asha Sharma revealed that Microsoft has secured exclusive streaming rights for Grand Theft Auto VI. The agreement means that only Xbox Cloud Gaming will be able to stream the game to players at launch, while Rockstar Games has yet to announce a PC version. The duration of the exclusivity is unclear, but the deal gives Xbox a unique selling point for its cloud gaming service and could influence how the title is marketed and accessed by the broader gaming community.

Microsoft co‑founder Bill Gates warned on NBC’s "Meet the Press" that artificial intelligence could cause a billion deaths, sparking a sharp divide on Capitol Hill. GOP senators, including John Cornyn and Angus King, dismissed the claim as irresponsible fearmongering that could lead to regulatory capture favoring large AI firms. They argued that unchecked competition could allow rivals—particularly China—to gain a technological edge if the U. S. slows development. Democrats, led by Elizabeth Warren, urged Congress to stay in session and enact safeguards, citing the need to protect public safety and maintain national security. President Trump opposed heavy regulation, warning that a slowdown could hand advantage to foreign competitors. The debate highlights the tension between rapid AI innovation, safety concerns, and geopolitical competition.

Last week, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella hosted an intimate, invite‑only gathering for leaders from key enterprise customers. Rather than a public launch, he presented a new vision for Copilot, describing it as the "OS for work." The update adds coding and agent capabilities directly into the assistant and integrates the full power of Office into Copilot for the first time. Nadella emphasized that AI will transform workplace productivity in the same way Microsoft Office did in the 1980s and 1990s, positioning Copilot as a foundational platform for future work environments.

Microsoft's gaming chief, Asha Sharma, has denied reports that the company is considering selling its Xbox business. In an interview, Sharma stated that Xbox is not for sale and that the company will do whatever it takes to set it up for success. This includes exploring partnerships and overhauling the unit's operating model. The comments come after reports suggested that Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella and CFO Amy Hood had been considering spinning out Xbox. However, it appears that Nadella and Hood have since supported Sharma's plans to revamp the unit.

Cloudflare has announced its intent to become a public certificate authority (CA), marking a significant shift after years of being one of the largest consumers of publicly trusted certificates. The company has applied for inclusion in the Chrome, Apple, Microsoft, and Mozilla root programs and has signed a definitive agreement to acquire an established GlobalSign root, which has been trusted across browsers, operating systems, and devices since 2012. By acquiring this root, Cloudflare will provide certificates that reach older clients that a new root would not serve, ensuring broad device compatibility from day one. Cloudflare’s new CA will be ACME‑first, allowing automated issuance and renewal through the widely accepted protocol. The company will also be among the first to issue post‑quantum certificates, targeting Chrome’s Quantum‑resistant Root Program. While certificates are not yet being issued, Cloudflare is committed to transparency, sharing milestones publicly and building a resilient CA that limits the impact of any single issue. The move aims to strengthen the free‑certificate ecosystem, which currently relies heavily on Let’s Encrypt, by adding redundancy and ensuring that the Internet’s encrypted traffic remains secure even if a dominant CA experiences a problem.

Microsoft has officially rolled out Xbox Mythic Achievements, a new system that mirrors Sony’s PlayStation Platinum trophies. A Mythic Achievement is unlocked once a player earns every original achievement for a game. The feature is already available to Xbox Insiders and has been retroactively added to eligible titles that players have completed, including many Xbox 360 games. When users next visit their profiles, they may find that some of their favorite games have already achieved Mythic status. The Xbox dashboard will display Mythic Achievements, and a forthcoming gaming tab will let players track both Gamerscore milestones and Mythic progress.

Microsoft has promoted its new data‑center sites as “good neighbors,” pledging to pay local property taxes and invest in community services. However, when church groups and residents asked how much the company would contribute beyond its public‑relations messaging, representatives appeared unprepared and offered no concrete figures. The firm has acknowledged that matching its employees’ charitable donations—$229 million to 29,000 nonprofits in 2024—does not satisfy critics, yet it remains vague about additional local spending. Critics point out that Microsoft’s modest local investments contrast sharply with the hundreds of millions in state‑level tax breaks that data‑center developers receive in 38 states, often lasting more than a decade.

Microsoft today unveiled its new Copilot “super app,” a single interface that combines three AI capabilities—chat, coding, and agents—into one streamlined experience. The app features three tabs: Home, Code, and Autopilot. Home merges Copilot Chat with Cowork, serving as the default landing page for users. The Code tab focuses on programming assistance, while the Autopilot tab houses the rebranded AI personal assistant, formerly known as Scout. Microsoft also announced a Today feature that will act as a personalized dashboard for important updates and tasks. The launch positions Copilot as a central hub for productivity, aiming to rival the influence of Microsoft Office.

Microsoft has shifted its communications group from the marketing division into the Corporate, External, and Legal Affairs (CELA) organization, a move that places vice chair and president Brad Smith at the helm of the company’s communications strategy. The change comes as Frank Shaw, the long‑time chief communications officer, announced his departure later this year after nearly three decades of service. CEO Satya Nadella thanked Shaw in an internal memo for his contributions and noted that Microsoft is actively searching for a replacement. The realignment signals a tighter integration of corporate messaging with legal and external affairs, potentially streamlining how Microsoft engages stakeholders and manages public communications.

Microsoft announced a week‑long round of layoffs that cut 268 positions across its gaming division, part of a broader Xbox reset that has been underway for two years. The company also shuffled major studios and franchises, a move that follows earlier mass cuts that began in early 2024. Current and former Xbox employees report that the repeated shutdowns of studios and the constant reshuffling have taken a toll on morale. The latest round of job cuts underscores the continued scale of the restructuring and the uncertainty facing the division’s future projects.