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☆ Microsoft is even cutting cloud and AI workers in its plan to lay off 10,000 employees, internal email shows
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-10 | by ( Ashley Stewart | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Microsoft just did another wave of layoffs this week in its plan to cut 10,000 people from its workforce, and affected units include the company's cloud and artificial intelligence organization, an internal email viewed by Insider shows. In Janauary, Microsoft publicly announced a plan to lay off 10,000 employees through March. An email that was not shared with the public, but viewed by Insider, confirms cuts came to Executive Vice President Scott Guthrie's Cloud+AI organization. The company this week recirculated a guide directing managers on how to communicate with employees, according to an internal email viewed by Insider. In the guide, Microsoft calls for managers to "show empathy and compassion" and to "keep a pulse on team morale."

Microsoft is hosting a major event on Tuesday at 1 p.m. ET where it's expected to talk about OpenAI's ChatGPT and how Microsoft will use it in its products. The event will not stream live for the public, but CNBC and other media outlets will be there to cover the news live. OpenAI's CEO, Sam Altman, on Monday tweeted a photo of himself alongside Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella. Follow along for live updates from Microsoft's Tuesday event below.

☆ Layoffs are a nail in the coffin for whatever the metaverse is
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-23 | by ( Hasan Chowdhury | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Last week saw both Apple and Microsoft pause on speculative projects involving augmented reality and virtual reality, per reports. Apple has postponed its much-rumored augmented reality glasses because of technical challenges, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reported. The metaverse was already a loose concept, a catch-all term for a vague theory that augmented reality and virtual reality is the future of computing, despite little evidence to back this up. Microsoft, reasonably early to the market with its HoloLens headset, has run into issues with one of its biggest customers: the US military. It's possible augmented reality and virtual reality devices do become popular among certain types of consumer, such as enthusiasts or gamers.

☆ Magic Leap CEO says Apple becoming a rival in augmented reality would actually be a good thing
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-17 | by ( Britney Nguyen | Cadie Thompson | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Magic Leap's CEO said more money coming into the augmented reality space from competitors is "good." Apple is rumored to be readying its own headset, which would compete against Magic Leap and Microsoft. Apple is reportedly gearing up to launch its own headset this year, which would compete against other offerings from Magic Leap and Microsoft. Under Johnson, Magic Leap has pivoted toward building its Magic Leap 2 AR headset for enterprise use rather marketing it at consumers. Johnson pointed out that Apple is more consumer-focused, while Magic Leap is enterprise-focused, but said at some point, "we'll come circle back to consumer."

☆ The Microsoft executive in charge of its troubled mixed reality military goggles is leaving the company
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-06 | by ( Ashley Stewart | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

The executive leading Microsoft's mixed reality goggle program for the US military is leaving. Microsoft's military contract has been behind schedule and plagued by performance issues. David Marra — the executive in charge of Microsoft's mixed reality goggle program for the US military — is leaving the company, Insider has learned. Marra is IVAS's program director, as well as the partner and general manager of AI and mixed reality. Domencic, who one person said replaces Marra, landed at Microsoft in November 2020 after a long career in the military.

☆ Microsoft's most significant departures and hires of 2022, including execs who resigned following Insider reports on misconduct allegations
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-29 | by ( Ashley Stewart | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

The list includes executives who resigned following Insider reports on misconduct allegations. The company's most significant departures include executives who resigned following Insider reports on misconduct allegations. Current and former Microsoft employees said Kipman repeatedly got away with inappropriate behavior toward female employees, including unwanted touching. Kipman resigned less than two weeks after Insider published the story. Kipman, Keane, and Ma have not responded to Insider's requests for comment.

☆ Apple needs another hit product. But the rumored new AR/VR glasses will not be it.
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-27 | by ( Michael Gartenberg | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Apple is widely rumored to be releasing augmented-reality/virtual-reality glasses in 2023. It has long been rumored that Apple will create a car to take on the likes of Tesla. What does seem likely is that Apple will release augmented-reality/virtual-reality glasses, rumored to be coming in 2023 with an OS called xrOS. While I'm always excited to see what innovations companies like Apple have in store, I have some serious concerns about betting on AR/VR glasses as a growth market. Beyond the practical concerns of battery life, comfort, and price, there's the fundamental issue of the lack of a compelling use case for AR or VR glasses.

☆ 'They are untouchable': Microsoft employees say 'golden boy' executives are still running wild, 8 years after the company vowed to clean up its toxic culture
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-24 | by ( Ashley Stewart | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +23 min

The Microsoft executive walked into the small, windowless room in Studio C at about 8 o'clock that evening. Despite Nadella's public stance against those he has called "talented jerks," many inside the company say Microsoft retains a nearly unlimited tolerance for bad behavior by its top rainmakers and developers. "The Microsoft of 2021 is very different from the Microsoft of 2000 to me and to everyone at Microsoft," Nadella said. But some women say the investigations drag on for months or even years, with no clear timeline for resolution. What's more, some employees say Microsoft's efforts to promote racial equity often smack of tokenism.

☆ A review of Microsoft's sexual harassment policies found it could have acted earlier to address executive misconduct alleged in Insider report
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-15 | by ( Ashley Stewart | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Microsoft released results of what it said was an independent review of its sexual harassment policies. The review cites Insider's report about allegations of misconduct from "golden boy" executives whose value gave them impunity. Current and former Microsoft employees alleged Kipman repeatedly got away with inappropriate behavior toward women employees, including unwanted touching. Microsoft, according to ArentFox's report, provided the firm with records related to allegations of misconduct by Kipman and Keane from 2021 and earlier. The firm did not investigate the allegations, but reviewed the results of Microsoft's own investigations into the allegations and found the company could have addressed inappropriate conduct earlier.

One year and billions of dollars later, the so-called metaverse still feels years away, if it ever manifests at all. And Meta’s flagship social VR app Horizon Worlds can feel like a ghost town (albeit a ghost town with laser tag). Meta’s latest headset, the Quest Pro, is its first effort at combining the immersiveness of VR with the real world. The VR headset market is still tiny compared to, say, an established gadget market like console video games. A visitor to the 2022 Tokyo Game Show tests the Meta Quest 2 VR headset.

☆ Xbox boss says that the current metaverse is a 'poorly built video game' and is 'not how I want to spend my time'
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-27 | by ( Travis Clark | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Xbox chief Phil Spencer compared the metaverse to a "poorly built video game" and a "living room." Spencer compared the metaverse to a "poorly built video game" during The Wall Street Journal's Tech Live conference on Wednesday, but admitted that it would "evolve." "Today it's a poorly built video game," Spencer said. What I see in the metaverse world is that we're at the early stage and this will evolve." Microsoft, which owns Xbox, has struggled to enter the metaverse, according to a Wall Street Journal report published on Wednesday.

☆ Microsoft’s Struggles Enter the Metaverse
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-26 | by ( Aaron Tilley | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

With its futuristic HoloLens headset, Microsoft grabbed an early lead in the race to the metaverse. Seven years later, its big push into augmented reality, which blends virtual imagery with views of the real world, has bumped up against the limits of the technology and the patience of company management. The device, a ring-shaped computer worn like a crown that displays digital information on attached goggles, hasn’t become a hit. Microsoft shelved a planned new version and has struggled to meet technical requirements for its biggest buyer, the U.S. Army.

☆ Microsoft’s Hardware Struggles Enter the Metaverse
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-26 | by ( Aaron Tilley | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

☆ Microsoft set to report earnings after the bell
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-25 | by ( Jordan Novet | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Microsoft will report fiscal first-quarter results after market close on Tuesday. Here's what analysts are expecting:Earnings: $2.30 per share, adjusted, as expected by analysts, according to Refinitiv. $2.30 per share, adjusted, as expected by analysts, according to Refinitiv. Analysts are looking for $49.61 billion in revenue from Microsoft in the fiscal first quarter, which ended on Sept. 30. That would represent 9.5% revenue growth year over year, which would be the slowest growth since 2017.

☆ These 15 people are shaping the office of the future, designing meeting pods, hologram calls, and buildings that actually make workers healthier
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-24 | by ( Robert Davis | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +27 min

These 15 power players are just a handful of the people designing workplaces to balance productivity, interaction, and employee well-being through indoor-air-quality monitoring systems, building amenities, holographic meeting spaces, and more. AftershipCities like Austin, Texas; Nashville, Tennessee; and Raleigh, North Carolina, began offering business-relocation incentives during the pandemic to boost their workforces and help increase occupancy in office buildings. Room's office suite includes a phone booth, a meeting room, an open meeting room, and a focus room. Room also makes a soundproof meeting room that fits two people, a more open meeting booth, and a focus room designed for quiet concentration. "The future of office work needs to be guided by a new, genuine form of flexibility in which the work, not the workers themselves, become even more malleable," Petersen writes.

☆ Leaked Microsoft organizational chart shows the 19 people running its all-important cloud business
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-20 | by ( Ashley Stewart | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

An internal org chart shows the 19 people running Microsoft's Cloud + AI org under CEO Satya Nadella. An internal Microsoft organizational chart viewed by Insider shows the people in charge of the company's cloud and artificial intelligence business — a business so tremendous, it employs at least one-third of Microsoft's massive workforce. The Cloud + AI org is responsible for Microsoft's Azure cloud business, plus its data platform, developer services, and software like its Dynamics 365 customer relationship management tool. The org is run by Scott Guthrie, one of CEO Satya Nadella's top lieutenants and the exec who has led Microsoft's cloud business since at least 2011. Nat Friedman, the former CEO of Microsoft subsidiary GitHub who stepped down in November 2021, also remained on the org chart viewed by Insider.

The U.S. aviation giant is looking to digital technology to accelerate production of new aircraft, said Susan Doniz, Boeing's chief information officer, at the Reuters Momentum conference in Austin on Tuesday. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterSome employees expressed reluctance over tools Boeing offered to help them, too. The metaverse, not just a place where Boeing may one day build its planes, is a concept where people can have an avatar in vast virtual lands. There even is discussion about creating "digital twins" of the real world -- and its problems, said Morgan McGuire, Roblox's chief scientist. "There's a lot of things in the real world that are really serious and are really bad," McGuire said at the conference.

The U.S. aviation giant is looking to digital technology to accelerate production of new aircraft, said Susan Doniz, Boeing's chief information officer, at the Reuters Momentum conference in Austin on Tuesday. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterSome employees expressed reluctance over tools Boeing offered to help them, too. The company deployed the HoloLens, mixed-reality headsets from Microsoft Corp (MSFT.O), so staff could wire aircraft with manuals before them digitally. There even is discussion about creating "digital twins" of the real world -- and its problems, said Morgan McGuire, Roblox's chief scientist. "There's a lot of things in the real world that are really serious and are really bad," McGuire said at the conference.

☆ Wall Street is being shortsighted on Meta Platforms, ignoring things that can go right
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-12 | by ( Zev Fima | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +11 min

Club holding Meta Platforms (META) seems to be a hated stock on Wall Street no matter what it does. The stock hit a new 52-week low Wednesday, one day after the company unveiled its new Quest Pro headset at its 2022 Meta Connect conference. Quest Pro Starting with the Meta Quest Pro, at $1,500, the headset is targeting a different audience than its Meta Quest 2 counterpart, which starts at $400. Tools and partnerships While the Quest Pro is impressive in its own right, what makes it really intriguing are the tools and partnerships that were announced with it. The Meta Quest Pro headset during the virtual Meta Connect event in New York, US, on Tuesday, Oct. 11, 2022.

☆ Meta unveils its much-hyped Quest Pro mixed reality headset
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-11 | by ( ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +4 min

Meta Platforms unveiled its Quest Pro virtual and mixed reality headset on Tuesday, marking a milestone for Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg’s break into the higher-end market for extended reality computing devices. The Quest Pro features several upgrades over Meta’s existing Quest 2 headset, which overwhelmingly dominates the consumer virtual reality market. For fully immersive virtual reality, Meta has added tracking sensors to the Quest Pro that can replicate users’ eye movements and facial expressions, creating a sense that avatars are making eye contact. Meta is pitching the Quest Pro as a productivity device, aimed at designers, architects and other creative professionals. For now, that means the Quest Pro stops short of enabling the complex commercial applications Meta has suggested it wants its metaverse tech to support.

☆ Meta's new Quest Pro headset, mixing real and virtual worlds, makes debut
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-11 | by ( Katie Paul | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Meta/Handout via REUTERSOct 11 (Reuters) - Meta Platforms (META.O) unveiled its Quest Pro virtual and mixed reality headset on Tuesday, marking a milestone for Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg's break into the higher-end market for extended reality computing devices. The Quest Pro features several upgrades over Meta's existing Quest 2 headset, which overwhelmingly dominates the consumer virtual reality market. For fully immersive virtual reality, Meta has added tracking sensors to the Quest Pro that can replicate users' eye movements and facial expressions, creating a sense that avatars are making eye contact. PITCHING PRODUCTIVITYMeta is pitching the Quest Pro as a productivity device, aimed at designers, architects and other creative professionals. For now, that means the Quest Pro stops short of enabling the complex commercial applications Meta has suggested it wants its metaverse tech to support.

☆ 'The devices would have gotten us killed.' Microsoft's military smart goggles failed four of six elements during a recent test, internal Army report says
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-11 | by ( Ashley Stewart | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Microsoft won a contract worth as much as $22 billion to build smart goggles for the US military. The device received a poor reception from soldiers in a recent test, according to an Army report. Microsoft's smart goggles for the US military failed most elements of a recent Army test and one tester remarked the device would be dangerous for soldiers to wear, according to excerpts from an Army report dictated to Insider. The device failed in four out of six evaluation events in a recent "operational demo," according to a Microsoft employee briefed about the event. The Army contract was considered a major milestone for Microsoft in particular and the augmented reality field in general.

☆ Meta’s newest VR headset is impressive. Here’s why you probably won’t buy it
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-11 | by ( Rachel Metz | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

CNN Business —Meta’s newest virtual-reality headset, the Meta Quest Pro, is a slick, powerful device. Buyers can pre-order the Quest Pro as of Tuesday, and it will ship out on October 25. Meta's latest VR headset, the Quest Pro, is aimed at business users and costs $1500. Updated hand controllersThe headset is also more of a mixed-reality headset than a VR headset, as it isn’t meant to block out all ambient light all the time. The Quest Pro headset has sensors that can track your eyes and facial expressions.

☆ Microsoft insiders describe a leadership vacuum in its metaverse unit as its gigantic US Military contract fell short in its latest test: 'The devices would have gotten us killed'
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-10 | by ( Ashley Stewart | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

While "Alex needed to go," insiders say, the mixed reality unit split up after his exit and left a leadership vacuum. In June, Microsoft's Mixed Reality unit — responsible for the HoloLens goggles and other nascent metaverse projects — saw a huge shakeup. Now, months later, Microsoft insiders say the company's metaverse and mixed reality ambitions remain uncertain amid canceled projects, budget cuts, a struggling contract with the United States military, and lack of leadership. One insider said that there's "no roadmap to speak of" for HoloLens as Microsoft instead focuses on the Army contract. Mixed reality teams have already seen significant cuts to their expenses.

☆ The era of Big Tech moonshots is over. Amazon, Google, Facebook, and Microsoft are pulling back on ambitious, risky long-term projects after many of them failed.
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-29 | by ( Hugh Langley | Eugene Kim | Kali Hays | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +13 min

Amazon, Google, Microsoft, and Facebook have scaled back their ambitious "moonshot" projects. Moonshots like Google X and Amazon Grand Challenge allowed tech firms to build innovative projects. Before Amazon, Parviz led a similar team at Google called Google X. Page and Brin championed X projects they loved, helping them gain funding and headcount within the unit. Parviz, who created the once-hyped-up Google Glass, left Google X in 2014 to start Amazon's Grand Challenge.

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