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Microsoft News
Silicon
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Image Credit: Silicon
Sam Altman Admits Speaking With Microsoft’s Nadella Over Partnership
- OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has confirmed talks with Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella regarding their future partnership.
- Reports suggest tensions have risen between OpenAI and Microsoft as they discuss revising the terms of Microsoft's investment in the AI firm.
- Signs of tension include discussions of antitrust measures by OpenAI executives and Microsoft hosting a rival AI model to OpenAI's ChatGPT.
- Both companies are negotiating changes to their partnership, including a potential IPO for OpenAI and revisions to their contract extending to 2030.
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Hrexecutive
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Talent management in the age of the ‘infinite workday’: Microsoft’s recommendations
- Microsoft's 2025 Work Trend Index reveals rise of an 'infinite workday'.
- Employees face interruptions every two minutes, leading to chaotic and fragmented work.
- Evening work trends impact employees differently, requiring HR to ensure work-life balance.
- Suggestions include leveraging technology for productivity and fostering a sustainable work culture.
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The Verge
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26
Image Credit: The Verge
Discord is working on a Windows on Arm app
- Discord is developing a native Windows on Arm version of its communications app, with an early development preview build available for testers.
- The Windows on Arm build of Discord is in the early stages of development, and the release date for the public version is not yet confirmed.
- Using Discord on Qualcomm-powered Copilot Plus devices currently results in a slow and frozen experience, but using an unofficial Discord client or the upcoming native version provides better performance.
- The move to a native Windows on Arm version of Discord will enhance performance and join other companies building native Arm64 apps for Microsoft's Copilot Plus PCs.
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Medium
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189
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Why AI-102 Is the Next Step in Your AI Journey
- AI-102: Designing and Implementing an Azure AI Solution is the next step after AI-900, focusing on building real-world AI solutions to solve business problems.
- AI-102 targets technical roles such as developers, solution architects, and power users wanting to design smarter applications using AI services in Azure.
- The course teaches how to implement AI responsibly using Azure tools, including building secure and scalable AI solutions, using Azure Cognitive Services, integrating AI features, and evaluating performance and cost.
- AI-102 aims to make learners AI-capable, preparing them for a future where AI plays a crucial role in customer interactions, dashboards, and automated workflows.
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Playstationlifestyle
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PS5 Getting 2 Major Xbox Games in the Same Month
- PS5 players will receive two former Xbox exclusive games in August 2025: Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II and Gears of War: Reloaded.
- Hellblade 2 will have an 'Enhanced' version for PS5 with graphical and gameplay additions, including a developer commentary feature and an enhanced Photo Mode
- Hellblade 2 will be released on August 12, priced at $49.99 for the standard edition and $69.99 for a deluxe edition which includes the original game and its soundtrack.
- Players who owned Hellblade on PS4 will get a free upgrade to the PS5 version and can expect enhancements like Performance Mode (60 fps) and return of 'The Dark Rot' game mode.
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Windows
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39
Surface Copilot+ PCs: Built for teaching, learning and security
- Educators navigate diverse student needs and new tech while managing IT and security demands.
- Microsoft Surface Copilot+ PCs integrate hardware, software, and AI for intelligent experiences.
- Devices prioritize security, trust, natural learning, and reliability for classroom use.
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2 Likes
Massivelyop
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Microsoft’s Xbox division faces the possibility of significant layoffs soon – again
- Bloomberg reports that Microsoft's Xbox division is anticipating major layoffs as part of a company-wide reorganization.
- If the layoffs occur, it will mark the fourth major round of Xbox-related layoffs in the past year-and-a-half.
- In a separate development, ZeniMax Workers United-CWA's 300 quality assurance staff have ratified their first-ever union contract, providing protections against dismissal and other benefits.
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TechJuice
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Image Credit: TechJuice
Windows 10 Refuses to Die—Microsoft Extends Support Again!
- Microsoft has extended support for Windows 10 until October 13, 2026, offering select users an extra year of free security updates.
- Users need to either enable Windows Backup, spend 1,000 Microsoft Rewards points, or pay $30 for a 12-month Extended Security Update (ESU) to unlock this extension.
- This extension allows users to keep their Windows 10 machines secure, even if they don't meet Windows 11's requirements.
- The extension signifies Microsoft's acknowledgment of slower Windows 11 adoption and provides a lifeline for users on older hardware or unwilling to upgrade.
- Options come with tradeoffs: enabling Backup involves cloud data sharing, redeeming Rewards points requires time investment, and ESU path costs $30.
- Microsoft 365 Office apps on Windows 10 will continue to receive security updates until October 2028, without new features or bug fixes.
- Enterprise and education customers can purchase up to three years of ESU at varying prices.
- Despite the Windows 10 extension, Microsoft remains focused on Windows 11 and plans for a PC refresh in 2025.
- The extension is seen as a strategic delay to ease resistance to upgrading to Windows 11, with stronger upgrade messages and incentives expected.
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Dev
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Microsoft 365 Business Standard Security and Productivity Features: What You Get in 2025
- Microsoft 365 Business Standard in 2025 offers a productivity suite for small to medium-sized businesses, combining power and simplicity.
- Key features include full desktop Office applications, business-class Outlook and Exchange for email and calendar, OneDrive for Business for secure cloud storage, Microsoft Teams for digital collaboration, and SharePoint Online for organization and collaboration.
- Security features in Business Standard include Exchange Online Protection, basic identity protection, role-based access control, data encryption, and security defaults.
- It lacks advanced features like Microsoft Intune for device management and Defender for Business but targets companies with lighter security needs.
- Business Standard offers ease of administration through the Microsoft Admin Center, supports mobility and cross-device sync, and remains cost-effective for SMBs in 2025.
- User examples include professional services firms, retail businesses, nonprofits, remote teams, and startups scaling beyond free tools.
- Business Standard in 2025 prioritizes usability, integration, and default security measures, simplifying collaboration and reducing software sprawl.
- It is suitable for businesses not needing complex device management or deep threat protection, offering dependable security and seamless tool integration.
- Microsoft 365 Business Standard is a well-rounded option that empowers small to medium-sized businesses to grow confidently in a digital-first world.
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Insider
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357
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I'm a Microsoft employee witnessing the Great Flattening. So far, the middle manager squeeze has been a career opportunity for me.
- A Microsoft employee has shared their experience of meeting less frequently with their manager as the company reduced the number of middle managers.
- The employee's workload has increased, but they mentioned that working more independently has helped them grow in their role.
- The employee works in an AI-related role at Microsoft and discusses their experience related to the 'Great Flattening' trend, where companies reduce middle managers.
- The shift to meeting less often was due to the manager handling more direct reports as the team expanded to support the company's growing AI data center needs.
- Despite feeling burned out at times, the employee has taken on additional responsibilities without passing them on to junior colleagues.
- The experience of having less time with the manager has pushed the employee to become more self-reliant and figure things out independently.
- The employee sees the increased workload as an opportunity to work towards a senior role and showcase their ability to handle tasks independently.
- As the employee gained more experience, they found they could manage most day-to-day tasks without involving the manager, consulting them mainly for important matters.
- The team, consisting mostly of experienced members, has managed to work independently, with the employee voluntarily assisting a newer member to ensure a smooth onboarding experience.
- The employee's role transformation, although challenging, has helped them develop confidence, take ownership, and rely more on their judgment.
- The employee hopes that their increased independence and decision-making skills will benefit their career progression.
- The employee emphasizes the importance of supporting team members, even if it adds to their workload, to ensure a positive experience and effective support.
- The original conversation with the employee has been anonymized for candid discussion.
- For further interaction, a form is provided for middle managers or contact via email is available.
- The employee's narrative reflects a common trend in companies like Google, Walmart, and Microsoft, where efforts are made to reduce middle management layers and increase direct reports per manager.
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Dev
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261
Image Credit: Dev
The Ultimate Dynamics 365 Sales AI Guide: Features to Supercharge Your Revenue
- Sales teams are turning to AI and Microsoft Dynamics 365 to streamline processes and drive business growth.
- Common sales challenges include scattered customer data, manual work, lack of visibility into buyer engagement, and inconsistent pipeline tracking.
- AI and Dynamics 365 features address these challenges by providing insights from sales calls, automating data capture, optimizing email engagement, and offering an AI sales assistant.
- Conversation Intelligence in Dynamics 365 Sales offers live call transcription, AI-generated notes, sentiment analysis, keyword tracking, and mention detection.
- Auto Capture feature automatically extracts customer interactions from emails and meetings, generating CRM tasks without manual effort.
- Email Engagement tools track prospect behavior, provide intelligent follow-up recommendations, and offer personalized email templates for effective outreach.
- Copilot for Sales serves as an AI sales assistant, providing automatic transcription, sentiment analysis, and follow-up suggestions.
- Advanced Sales Forecasting powered by AI helps analyze historical data, identify deals at risk, and optimize sales strategies for business growth.
- Microsoft Dynamics 365 Sales reduces admin work, enhances buyer engagement, empowers smarter follow-ups, and drives revenue growth.
- The integration of AI and Dynamics 365 Sales can revolutionize sales processes and lead to real business growth.
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Analyticsindiamag
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Image Credit: Analyticsindiamag
Microsoft Launches Mu, a Small Language Model That Runs Locally on Copilot+ PCs
- Microsoft has introduced Mu, a compact on-device language model designed to run on Copilot+ PCs' neural processing units.
- Mu is built on a Transformer encoder-decoder architecture for efficient inference by separating input and output tokens, achieving over 100 tokens per second.
- The 330 million parameter model was trained using Azure's A100 GPUs and incorporates features like dual LayerNorm and rotary positional embeddings for speed and accuracy.
- Microsoft applied post-training quantisation, collaborating with hardware partners like AMD, Intel, and Qualcomm to optimize the model for lower-precision formats on edge devices.
- Mu, integrated into Windows Settings, facilitates system adjustments via natural language queries, mapping them to system actions for user convenience.
- The model performed best on multi-word queries with clear intent, implying the need for sufficient context for accurate interpretation.
- Taskspecific fine-tuning enabled Mu to meet performance and latency goals, scaling the training dataset and support for various system settings.
- Mu's development builds on prior models Phi and Phi Silica, expected to underpin future AI agents on Windows devices.
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HRKatha
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Image Credit: HRKatha
4th round of layoffs to begin at Microsoft
- Next week, Microsoft is set to conduct another round of layoffs impacting the Xbox division, with the exact number of layoffs yet to be disclosed.
- This round of job cuts is anticipated to be the largest in the past year and a half, part of a broader company-wide restructuring.
- The restructuring may also affect global sales operations teams within Microsoft.
- The Xbox division, responsible for gaming consoles, digital services like Game Pass, and game studios, is likely to bear the brunt of these layoffs.
- In recent years, Microsoft has undertaken several rounds of layoffs across various departments, including 1,900 positions in January 2024 and another 6,000 jobs in May 2025.
- In response to market conditions, Microsoft has been streamlining its operations, which included eliminating low performers in April 2025.
- Employees were given the choice to improve under a performance-improvement plan or leave, with a two-year hiatus on rehiring for underperformers.
- Microsoft's focus on operational cost reduction is evident through job cuts, outsourcing, and a shift towards investing more in artificial intelligence.
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2 Likes
Dev
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405
Image Credit: Dev
I Wrote the S2E01 Recap for Model Mondays: Advanced Reasoning Session
- The official blog for Model Mondays Season 2 Episode 1 on the Microsoft TechCommunity was authored.
- The blog discusses Advanced Reasoning with LLMs and creating Deep Researcher agents using DeepSeek-R1, LangGraph, and Azure AI Foundry.
- Key highlights include the importance of reasoning-first models, designing reasoning-based scenarios, hands-on labs, and updates in Azure AI Foundry.
- A special thanks was extended to @nitya and @lee_stott for their support and guidance.
- The blog invites those exploring reasoning models to connect and share their work in the AzureAI community.
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Digit
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135
Image Credit: Digit
Microsoft plans to cut more jobs at Xbox division next week in latest round of layoffs
- Microsoft is reportedly planning to implement another round of job cuts in its Xbox division next week as part of a broader company-wide reorganization.
- The layoffs are expected to impact a significant number of Xbox employees and would mark the fourth major round of job cuts in the last 18 months for Xbox.
- Xbox has been facing pressure to enhance profits, particularly after Microsoft's acquisition of Activision Blizzard for $69 billion in 2023.
- These job cuts are likely in line with Microsoft's cost-control efforts as it continues to heavily invest in artificial intelligence (AI).
- Reports suggest that Microsoft is looking to eliminate thousands of jobs next week, primarily from its sales team.
- The upcoming job cuts come after Microsoft already cut 6,000 jobs in May and released over 300 employees earlier in the same month.
- The company had previously laid off around 1,900 employees from Activision Blizzard and Xbox in January 2024, among other job reduction instances.
- The wave of layoffs reflects the challenges faced by major tech companies in managing their workforce amidst significant shifts like focusing on AI.
- For Xbox, the job cuts demonstrate the need to make difficult decisions to maintain profitability in a competitive industry.
- The planned layoffs at Xbox are a part of Microsoft's broader reorganization strategy and cost-control measures.
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