Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella has openly criticized the integration performance of the company's AI assistant, Copilot, especially its connection with email platforms such as Gmail and Outlook. According to PYMNTS, which cited a report by The Information, Nadella personally reviewed the product and has demanded accelerated improvements from the engineering team.
In a letter sent to the Copilot engineering group, Microsoft described the current integration as "mostly unusable" and "not smart enough." A manager on the team responded by comparing the situation to Google's Gemini AI, which reportedly integrates more effectively with Google Cloud Drive. Sources reveal that Nadella holds weekly hour-long meetings to closely monitor the team's progress, maintaining a serious and focused atmosphere.
Business Insider has previously reported that Nadella set up a Microsoft Teams channel with about 100 technical staff to question the performance of underperforming AI products and encourage frontline employees to contribute feedback. This approach reflects Nadella's broader view of AI as essential to Microsoft's survival and a necessary driver of generational transformation within the company.
To support this transformation, Nadella is pushing through comprehensive organizational restructuring that accelerates AI research and product development. He is also demanding a clear commitment to this vision from senior executives, signaling that those unwilling to fully support the AI-driven changes will be asked to leave.
As part of the strategy to sharpen Microsoft's AI focus, Nadella appointed Judson Althoff as head of the Commercial Business Group. Althoff will keynote at the 2025 Ignite conference, marking the first time Nadella will not appear as a keynote speaker at the event. Additionally, Rolf Harms, credited with leading Microsoft's cloud business transformation, has been named AI economic policy advisor to help the company rethink business models amid its expanding AI initiatives.
Article edited by Jerry Chen