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Microsoft News
The Verge
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Microsoft starts testing ‘Hey, Copilot!’ in Windows
- Microsoft is testing a new feature for Copilot Voice in Windows 11 that allows users to start a conversation with the app by saying 'Hey Copilot!'
- This feature is aimed at enhancing the conversational experience with Copilot Voice, simulating similar commands available for Siri, Google, Alexa, and Cortana.
- To use this feature, Windows Insiders need to opt in and activate it. The update is rolling out globally to testers with English set as their display language.
- Once activated, users will see the Copilot microphone interface on their screen, indicating it is ready to listen. The on-device wake word spotter ensures privacy by not sending or storing audio clips and can work offline for basic recognition.
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Windows
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Microsoft App Assure helps Nord Security build for Windows on Arm
- Microsoft’s App Assure program supports developers in optimizing their apps for Copilot+ PCs and Arm-based Snapdragon X Series devices.
- NordVPN successfully engaged with the App Assure team to release an Arm-optimized version of their VPN solution for Windows on Arm.
- Working closely with Microsoft's engineers, Nord Security accelerated their development process and gained valuable technical guidance.
- App Assure's Arm Advisory Service helps developers navigate the complexities of adding new architectures to their applications.
- Microsoft provides direct consultation with engineers, guidance on best practices, and deep insights to facilitate informed decision-making.
- NordVPN's collaboration with App Assure resulted in establishing a solid foundation and faster time to market for their Arm-optimized product.
- App Assure aims to unlock the potential of developers by offering support for building Arm-optimized applications for Windows on Copilot+ PCs.
- Developers interested in adding Arm support to their Windows apps can utilize Microsoft's Arm Advisory Service and technical documentation.
- ISV testimonials highlight the success stories of companies like Proton VPN and F-Secure in optimizing their applications for Windows on Arm.
- Through collaboration with App Assure, ISVs have been able to ensure compatibility with Copilot+ PCs and deliver outstanding software solutions.
- Microsoft's proactive approach and expertise have been instrumental in helping ISVs optimize their apps for Arm architecture, expanding their user base.
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Guardian
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Minister accused of being too close to big tech after rise in meetings
- A surge in meetings between a senior cabinet minister, Peter Kyle, and big tech companies like Google, Amazon, Apple, and Meta has sparked accusations of being too close to the sector.
- Analysis revealed Kyle met tech representatives 28 times in a six-month period, raising concerns about potential conflict of interest in pushing the tech sector's agenda.
- Critics argue that smaller players in the AI industry are being sidelined due to the government's focus on big tech, impacting the diversity of voices influencing policy decisions.
- Labour has emphasized the importance of the technology sector, with promises to leverage AI for economic growth, but some view Kyle's connections as problematic.
- Controversial proposals related to copyright protections for AI companies have drawn backlash, prompting potential reshuffling of Kyle's role amid concerns of industry influence.
- Criticism of Kyle's close ties with big tech extends to accusations of neglecting UK startups and prioritizing US tech giants, potentially overlooking the interests of British creatives.
- Concerns raised by various stakeholders, including political figures and industry voices, highlight the need for balanced engagement and representation in the technology sector.
- The science and technology department emphasized the importance of engaging with the tech sector for economic growth, despite critiques of Kyle's proximity to big tech companies.
- Meetings held by Kyle with tech representatives revealed a focus on investment and opportunities, including discussions on AI regulation, disinformation, and industry innovation.
- The revelations surrounding Kyle's interactions with tech companies and figures like Tony Blair have raised questions about transparency, policymaking influence, and sector prioritization.
- Overall, the scrutiny on Peter Kyle's interactions with big tech reflects broader concerns about regulatory transparency, industry influence, and the balance of power in the technology sector.
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Perficient
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Unlock Automation Success: Power Automate Workshops at TechCon365 PWRCON
- Microsoft MVP Amarender Peddamalku is offering two workshops at TechCon365 PWRCON to help attendees master automation with Microsoft Power Automate.
- Session 1: Power Automate Bootcamp for beginners, covering basics, connectors, advanced flows, error handling, best practices, and hands-on labs.
- Session 2: Power Automate Multi-Stage Approval Workflows for designing complex approval workflows with escalations, reminders, advanced features, and integration with SharePoint.
- Attendees will deepen their automation understanding, learn from an industry expert, and gain skills to build powerful automated workflows for business transformation.
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Windows
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Copilot on Windows: “Hey, Copilot!” begins rolling out to Windows Insiders
- Microsoft is rolling out an update for the Copilot app on Windows for Windows Insiders via the Microsoft Store.
- The update introduces the 'Hey, Copilot!' feature, allowing users to start a conversation with Copilot Voice using a wake word.
- Users can enable 'Hey, Copilot' in the app settings and engage in hands-free conversations with Copilot Voice by saying the wake word.
- The feature is opt-in, and users must configure it in the Copilot app settings before using it on their Windows PC.
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Kotaku
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I Just Murdered A Very Rare, Near-Worthless Keyboard And I Might Have To Stop Playing PC Games Forever
- The author accidentally spilled Cherry Pepsi Max on their beloved Microsoft MultiMedia Keyboard 1.0A, which is now their last spare one.
- Despite recommendations to switch to a mechanical keyboard, the author prefers the whisper-quiet keys of the '1.0A' model for over 20 years.
- The author, attached sentimentally to the obsolete keyboard, sees it as essential to their writing and gaming achievements.
- The author defends their attachment to the '1.0A' model despite criticisms of not joining the mechanical keyboard trend.
- The author bought all available 'new' 1.0A models on eBay at exorbitant prices due to the keyboard's rarity.
- Despite challenges with compatibility and availability, the author remains loyal to the unique features of their preferred keyboard.
- The author reflects on the special feel and functionality of the '1.0A' keyboard and its significance in their work and gaming experiences.
- The author's struggle to adjust to potential future keyboard losses, indicating a reluctance to transition to newer models.
- Despite the practicality of purchasing backup keyboards, the author's emotional attachment and habits keep them tied to the '1.0A' model.
- The author's humorous and relatable account of their dedication to the outdated keyboard model, emphasizing its irreplaceable value.
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Massivelyop
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Microsoft lays off approximately 6000 workers after a sunny third quarter earnings report
- Microsoft has laid off around 6,000 employees, which is approximately 3% of its workforce, despite reporting better than expected growth in its third quarter earnings.
- The layoffs have impacted employees across all levels, teams, and geographies, including segments like Xbox, Bethsoft, and Activision-Blizzard.
- These job cuts are not performance-based but are primarily aimed at reducing layers of management to position the company for success in a competitive market.
- This is the fifth instance of Microsoft laying off employees since last year, with previous rounds of layoffs occurring in March, May, July, and September.
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Analyticsindiamag
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Microsoft Lays Off AI Director and TypeScript Veteran in Latest Job Cuts
- Microsoft has laid off around 6,000 employees, approximately 3% of its global workforce, as part of ongoing organisational restructuring.
- The job cuts included high-profile figures like Gabriela de Queiroz, the director of AI, Microsoft for startups, and Ron Buckton, a senior software engineer who worked on TypeScript for nearly a decade.
- De Queiroz confirmed her departure on LinkedIn, mentioning that no amount of hard work or advocacy could protect her from the restructuring. Buckton also shared his departing message after 18 years at Microsoft.
- Despite reporting $25.8 billion in quarterly net income and a positive forecast in late April, Microsoft still proceeded with the layoffs, affecting roles at the Redmond headquarters and office locations globally.
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Kotaku
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Sony Says PS5 Price Hikes Are Possible As It Faces $680 Million Hit From Tariffs
- Sony is considering possible price hikes for the PlayStation 5 due to increased U.S. tariffs, which could result in a $680 million hit from import taxes on China and other countries.
- Sony may pass on the price of tariffs to players and is exploring strategies like manufacturing consoles in the U.S. to mitigate the impact of the trade war.
- The potential tariff impacts could lead to significant price increases for PS5 and PS5 Pro, affecting consumers and overall game console purchases.
- Sony's record profits were driven by strong PS5 sales and increasing player spending on games and subscriptions, while uncertainties remain with potential price hikes amidst the release of new games.
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Siliconangle
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Twilio unveils AI-powered engagement platform and partners with Microsoft at SIGNAL 2025
- Twilio unveils AI-powered engagement platform and partners with Microsoft at SIGNAL 2025.
- Twilio introduced a next-generation customer engagement platform integrated with AI and data-driven capabilities, along with forming a strategic partnership with Microsoft for advancing conversational AI.
- The enhancements by Twilio focus on conversational AI, compliance, and personalization to enable businesses to deliver intelligent, compliant, and personalized customer engagement at scale.
- The partnership with Microsoft aims to develop and deploy AI-driven communications at scale by integrating Twilio's engagement platform with Microsoft's Azure AI Foundry.
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TechBullion
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SecurityBridge Partners with Microsoft to Boost SAP Security
- SecurityBridge has partnered with Microsoft to integrate SAP data into Microsoft Sentinel, enhancing SAP security.
- The collaboration aims to provide improved visibility to detect and respond to threats across SAP landscapes effectively.
- Combining SecurityBridge's SAP-native cybersecurity platform with Microsoft Sentinel's capabilities makes complex SAP security events accessible and actionable for all security teams.
- The collaboration benefits SAP customers by leveraging Microsoft Sentinel's machine learning and SecurityBridge's SAP security insights to enhance threat identification and response capabilities.
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Analyticsindiamag
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Big Tech Uses AI as an Excuse to Fire Thousands
- Big tech companies such as Microsoft, IBM, Chegg, Workday, CrowdStrike, PwC, and Klarna are attributing layoffs to AI in 2025.
- Layoffs.fyi reports over 50,000 tech employees have been laid off this year, with Microsoft eliminating around 3% of its workforce, affecting approximately 6,000 employees.
- Some believe AI-driven efficiency is leading to layoffs, while others suggest the cost of building AI infrastructure is driving companies to reduce headcount.
- Google and Meta have also announced layoffs, with Google cutting roles in its Platforms and Devices unit, and Meta focusing on performance-based cuts and internal restructuring.
- Companies like PwC are citing overhiring during the pandemic and a shift towards automation for reducing jobs, leading to 1,500 job cuts across the US.
- IBM replaced 200 human resources workers with AI agents, leading to an expansion in its workforce for hiring more programmers and sales personnel.
- Chegg plans to lay off 248 employees to reduce expenses, while Duolingo is phasing out human contractors with an 'AI-first' approach for expanding language course offerings.
- AI is seen automating tasks such as coding, customer service, and data analysis, potentially impacting jobs that once required human labor.
- Despite AI's impact, analysts believe big tech companies might be using AI as a pretext for layoffs driven by other strategic or financial motives.
- Klarna, after relying heavily on AI for customer service, aims to reintroduce human agents, acknowledging the negative impact of over-reliance on AI in customer interactions.
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Analyticsindiamag
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Reinforcement Learning Won Again, This Time With Microsoft
- Microsoft's Phi family of models, part of their AI research, includes lightweight and high-performing models that outshine competitors.
- Phi-4 Reasoning, a 14 billion-parameter model, was improved using supervised fine-tuning and reinforcement learning.
- These models excel in coding, math, and scientific tasks, surpassing larger models like DeepSeek R1.
- The success is attributed to high-quality training datasets with over 1.4 million prompts and answers generated by OpenAI.
- Reinforcement learning (RL) in Phi models allows for varied answers as long as the outcome is correct.
- The RL process in Microsoft's models focuses on mathematical reasoning by incentivising correctness and proper formatting.
- RL with Microsoft models requires less data compared to supervised fine-tuning, improving accuracy across evaluations.
- Despite successes, challenges remain, including resource consumption, slower response times, and contradictions in reasoning steps.
- Issues like reward hacking and discrepancies between reasoning chains and actual processes raise concerns in the AI community.
- Efforts to enhance interpretability and safety of reasoning models continue, aiming to understand model behaviors and improve overall performance.
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Eu-Startups
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€115 million for EarthAI: Madrid-based Xoople emerges from stealth as Europe’s next DeepTech breakout
- Madrid-based Xoople, an Earth Intelligence company, has raised €115 million in its latest equity round.
- Xoople is the world's first Earth Intelligence company, focusing on developing AI-ready Earth Data to understand physical changes on the Earth's surface.
- Xoople's strategic investors include CDTI, AXIS, and the Spanish Space Agency, positioning it as a leader in the field of EarthAI.
- The company aims to provide AI-ready global datasets for various industries, with support from partners like Microsoft and ESRI.
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13 Likes
Silicon
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Image Credit: Silicon
Microsoft Cuts Thousands Of Staff Amidst Heavy AI Spending
- Microsoft is laying off 3 percent of its workforce, likely affecting thousands of staff, while investing billions in artificial intelligence.
- The company's spending on AI has impacted profit margins, leading to the decision to reduce costs by cutting its headcount.
- Analysts suggest Microsoft may need to annually reduce staff by at least 10,000 to offset higher depreciation levels due to continued high capital expenditures on AI.
- The company's cloud margins have narrowed, prompting the need for staff cuts to better position itself in the market, particularly as it aims to expand data centers for AI computing.
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