Microsoft

Microsoft is a global technology leader that develops and licenses software and services across a broad range of devices. It is headquartered in Redmond, Wash., and was founded in 1975 by Bill Gates and Paul Allen. Satya Nadella currently serves as CEO. Microsoft’s divisions include Windows, Office, Azure and LinkedIn. The company’s competitors include Apple, Amazon and Google. Our coverage of Microsoft closely follows the company’s attempts to lead in artificial intelligence, such as its major $11 billion investment in OpenAI.

Recent Articles about Microsoft
Sam Altman, left, and Jensen Huang. Photos via Getty
AI Agenda

Nvidia and OpenAI’s Fates Get Even More Intertwined

By Anissa Gardizy · Sep 23, 2025 7:00am PDT · 1 comment
Larry Ellison might have thought his firm’s 4.5 gigawatt cloud deal with OpenAI was unmatched.That is, until he woke up on Monday morning to see OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang announcing something much bigger: data center plans that are more than double the size of Oracle’s. The numbers are quite staggering. If OpenAI and... Larry Ellison might have thought his firm’s 4.5 gigawatt cloud deal with OpenAI was unmatched....
Art by Clark Miller.

How Crypto Upended Financial Markets and What Comes Next

By Yueqi Yang · Sep 22, 2025 6:00am PDT · 1 comment
Crypto stormed into the traditional financial system over the past four months, wedging itself deeper than ever into banking and the stock market. The head-spinning changes created billions in profits for the industry and added more risks for investors and regulators. The changes came so fast that they were hard to keep straight. We’ve rolled... Crypto stormed into the traditional financial system over the past four months, wedging itself...
People lined up on Friday for the release of Apple's new iPhone 17 in New York. Photo via Getty
The Briefing

Why the Phone is the Best AI Device

By Martin Peers · Sep 19, 2025 3:00pm PDT · 1 comment
It’s hard to believe, but 18 years after the iPhone first hit store shelves, people still line up outside Apple stores whenever a new model first becomes available. We saw that again on Friday, when the iPhone 17 series went on sale. As we reported earlier, preorders for the entry-level iPhone 17—the cheap one—were strong enough to prompt Apple... It’s hard to believe, but 18 years after the iPhone first hit store shelves, people still line up...
Art by Clark Miller; Getty Images
How an Ex-Oilman Became the Face of Elon Musk’s Supercomputers
By Theo Wayt · Sep 19, 2025 9:00am PDT
Art by Clark Miller; Getty Images
The Big Read

How an Ex-Oilman Became the Face of Elon Musk’s Supercomputers

By Theo Wayt · Sep 19, 2025 9:00am PDT
In February, a peace summit of sorts took place on the top floor of Memphis City Hall. On one side there were a handful of local politicians and environmental activists. On the other was the city’s mayor, Paul Young, and Brent Mayo—a youthful, bearded, hoodie-clad Texan—who came with a message that his boss, Elon Musk, had become... In February, a peace summit of sorts took place on the top floor of Memphis City Hall. On one...
Art by Clark Miller; Getty Images
Exclusive

OpenAI to Spend $100 Billion on Backup Servers for AI Breakthroughs

By Sri Muppidi · Sep 19, 2025 7:00am PDT · 1 comment
When OpenAI in March released ChatGPT features that could turn photos into animated characters, a spike in usage forced the company to put temporary limits on the features. It wasn’t the first time this had happened. Chief Financial Officer Sarah Friar told investors at a Goldman Sachs conference last week that the company has to regularly hold... When OpenAI in March released ChatGPT features that could turn photos into animated characters, a...
Mark Zuckerberg introduces the Meta Oakley Vanguard AI glasses at Meta Connect. Photo via Getty
The Briefing

Meta’s AR Presence

By Martin Peers · Sep 18, 2025 5:00pm PDT · 1 comment
If Mark Zuckerberg has his way, in a few weeks you could be talking to a friend wearing Meta’s new “display” glasses (you might call them augmented reality-lite glasses). All of a sudden, your friend will get a glazed look in their eyes and their fingers will start twitching. “Oh no,” you’ll realize. “They got just a text and now they’re... If Mark Zuckerberg has his way, in a few weeks you could be talking to a friend wearing Meta’s...
Photo via Getty
Applied AI

Studios Say AI Is Finally Good Enough to Design Videogames

By Catherine Perloff and Aaron Holmes · Sep 18, 2025 10:30am PDT
Without video games, the artificial intelligence boom may not have happened: the Nvidia chips that powered recent AI breakthroughs were originally designed to process video game graphics.Now, game studios are increasingly turning to generative AI to automate the work of developing their games. Without video games, the artificial intelligence boom may not have happened: the Nvidia chips...
Oracle chairman Larry Ellison. Photo via Getty
The Magical Thinking Behind Oracle’s Valuation
By Anita Ramaswamy · Sep 18, 2025 6:00am PDT · 5 comments
Oracle chairman Larry Ellison. Photo via Getty
True Value

The Magical Thinking Behind Oracle’s Valuation

By Anita Ramaswamy · Sep 18, 2025 6:00am PDT · 5 comments
For a company whose name refers to divine prophecies, Oracle hasn’t done a very good job of predicting the future. Investors, though, appear to believe in the company’s latest, most incredible forecast. The database giant last week upped its forecast for future revenue it expects to generate, based on its current contracts, by a whopping $317... For a company whose name refers to divine prophecies, Oracle hasn’t done a very good job of...
Art by Clark Miller
AI Agenda

OpenAI’s Models Are Getting Too Smart For Their Human Teachers

By Stephanie Palazzolo · Sep 17, 2025 7:00am PDT
In the fight to improve AI models, Anthropic and OpenAI have doubled down on two methods: letting models train on fake clones of apps—otherwise known as reinforcement learning environments or gyms—and getting experts in various fields to teach models new things, as I reported in this Tuesday story.One problem is emerging, though: It’s getting a... In the fight to improve AI models, Anthropic and OpenAI have doubled down on two methods: letting...
Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman Images via Getty
Dealmaker

Who Will Own the New OpenAI, in One Chart

By Sri Muppidi · Sep 16, 2025 2:45pm PDT
One question has loomed over OpenAI investors for years: How would they generate a return on their investment? The ChatGPT maker is a nonprofit that capped the potential returns of early backers in its for-profit arm, such as Khosla Ventures and Microsoft, and would prevent the newer investors including Thrive Capital and SoftBank from reaping... One question has loomed over OpenAI investors for years: How would they generate a return on...
Dealmaker Newsletter
Reporters Cory Weinberg and Natasha Mascarenhas tell you what’s coming next, who’s winning—and who’s losing—in the high-stakes world of startup investing.
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Marc Benioff, left, and Satya Nadella. Photos via Getty
Applied AI

Salesforce, Microsoft Find Selling AI to Enterprises Is Easier Said Than Done

By Aaron Holmes and Kevin McLaughlin · Sep 16, 2025 10:30am PDT · 1 comment
As new artificial intelligence flooded the software market over the past few years, CEOs of incumbents such as Salesforce and Microsoft said they were in pole position to capitalize on the wave.They already have relationships with the largest companies in the world, which rely on their apps as systems of record, meaning they use them to hold... As new artificial intelligence flooded the software market over the past few years, CEOs of...
Art via Mike Sullivan
How Anthropic and OpenAI Are Developing AI ‘Co-Workers’
By Stephanie Palazzolo · Sep 16, 2025 10:01am PDT · 2 comments
Art via Mike Sullivan
Exclusive

How Anthropic and OpenAI Are Developing AI ‘Co-Workers’

By Stephanie Palazzolo · Sep 16, 2025 10:01am PDT · 2 comments
Anthropic, OpenAI and other artificial intelligence developers are sending large language models to the office. The AI models are being taught how to use everything from Salesforce’s customer relationship management software to Zendesk’s customer support and Cerner’s health records apps. The idea is to teach AI how to handle some of the... Anthropic, OpenAI and other artificial intelligence developers are sending large language models...
Art via Getty
AI Agenda

The Secrets OpenAI Revealed About ChatGPT

By Stephanie Palazzolo and Aaron Holmes · Sep 16, 2025 7:00am PDT
Public interest in ChatGPT's impact on society is rising fast, especially given recent high-profile lawsuits filed by family members of people who used the chatbot before taking their own life. On Monday, OpenAI opened the chabot's kimono a little bit, with a new study showing exactly how users are using ChatGPT.  Notably, non-work... Public interest in ChatGPT's impact on society is rising fast, especially given recent...
Photo via Getty
The Briefing

On Quarterly Earnings, Trump Has a Point

By Martin Peers · Sep 15, 2025 5:00pm PDT
Imagine a world where companies report earnings only twice a year, instead of every quarter. As John Lennon put it, “you may say I’m a dreamer, but I’m not the only one.” Donald Trump reminded us on Monday that he is a big proponent of switching to a half-yearly corporate reporting cadence, away from the quarterly one. His pitch is that doing so... Imagine a world where companies report earnings only twice a year, instead of every quarter. As...
Art by Clark Miller; photos from Getty Images.
Artificial Intelligence

Microsoft Hopes Hastened AI Rollout, Price Discounts Can Fuel Office 365 Growth

By Aaron Holmes · Sep 15, 2025 10:04am PDT · 2 comments
On paper, Informatica, a Redwood City-based cloud software firm with 5,000 white collar employees, is exactly the type of company that should be gung-ho to pay up and buy Microsoft 365 Copilot, the version of the company’s flagship Office software that comes with artificial intelligence features. And more than a year ago, Informatica did test... On paper, Informatica, a Redwood City-based cloud software firm with 5,000 white collar...
Here you go! Art via Getty
Everyone Wants To Be a Reinforcement Learning Startup
By Stephanie Palazzolo · Sep 15, 2025 7:00am PDT
Here you go! Art via Getty
AI Agenda

Everyone Wants To Be a Reinforcement Learning Startup

By Stephanie Palazzolo · Sep 15, 2025 7:00am PDT
These days, artificial intelligence developers, investors and founders are all obsessed with “reinforcement learning,” a method for improving AI by rewarding it for accomplishing certain goals and penalizing it for other behaviors.Investors tell me that they’re getting pitched on dozens of RL-related startups per week, ranging from those ... These days, artificial intelligence developers, investors and founders are all obsessed with “...
Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff via Getty. Art via Clark Miller
Exclusive

Marc Benioff Said AI Was Easy. A ‘Crazy’ Team at Salesforce Proved Him Wrong

By Kevin McLaughlin · Sep 15, 2025 6:00am PDT · 2 comments
Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff was upset. Last fall, one of his technical teams told large Salesforce customers that using Agentforce, the software firm’s new artificial intelligence for automating customer service and other functions, would require extensive planning. The product information the Salesforce team shared with those customers... Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff was upset. Last fall, one of his technical teams told large...
Art by Clark Miller; Getty Images.
The Arena

Is Steve Ballmer Too Rich for the NBA?

By Sara Germano · Sep 13, 2025 6:00am PDT · 1 comment
Earlier this week, a handful of the richest people in the world convened at a five-star hotel in midtown Manhattan to discuss typical titans-of-industry fodder: overseas expansion, the future of media, yadda yadda. But there was an elephant in the room: Did a billionaire in their ranks secretly siphon millions of dollars to an NBA star through a... Earlier this week, a handful of the richest people in the world convened at a five-star hotel in...
Art by Clark Miller
Artificial Intelligence

AI Talent Frenzy Complicates How Universities Retain, Recruit Doctoral Students

By Andrew Zucker · Sep 13, 2025 5:34am PDT · 1 comment
Even though applications aren’t due until December, an avalanche of emails have already hit Naomi Saphra, a soon-to-be assistant professor of computer science at Boston University who’s currently finishing up research across town at Harvard University. The messages are from people eager to join Saphra as BU doctoral students and contribute to... Even though applications aren’t due until December, an avalanche of emails have already hit Naomi...
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman. Photo by Getty,
OpenAI to Gain $50 Billion From Cutting Revenue Share with Microsoft, Partners
By Sri Muppidi, Aaron Holmes and Stephanie Palazzolo · Sep 12, 2025 7:18pm PDT · 2 comments
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman. Photo by Getty,
Exclusive

OpenAI to Gain $50 Billion From Cutting Revenue Share with Microsoft, Partners

By Sri Muppidi, Aaron Holmes and Stephanie Palazzolo · Sep 12, 2025 7:18pm PDT · 2 comments
As OpenAI irons out new terms of a partnership with Microsoft, it has told some shareholders that the percentage of revenue it will hand over to Microsoft will drop considerably in the coming years. As part of their original partnership agreement, Microsoft is entitled to 20% of the startup’s revenue through 2030. But OpenAI has projected to... As OpenAI irons out new terms of a partnership with Microsoft, it has told some shareholders that...