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☆ It's sentencing day for Sam Bankman-Fried
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-28 | by ( Dan Defrancesco | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

In today's big story, disgraced crypto executive Sam Bankman-Fried finds out how long he's going to prison . Sam Bankman-Fried, the ex-CEO of FTX and former face of crypto, will be sentenced in a Manhattan courtroom today. An FTX debtor lawyer told the bankruptcy court that FTX customers and creditors "will eventually be paid in full." AdvertisementGetty Images; Alyssa Powell/BIBut according to some, FTX customers getting their money back is despite SBF, not because of him. Almost a third of young people reported using ChatGPT "for tasks at work."

Persons: —, Sam Bankman, Fried, Chelsea Jia Feng, Lewis Kaplan, E, Jean Carroll, Donald Trump, Insider's Jacob Shamsian, FTX, Alyssa Powell, John J, Ray III, SBF, What's, Bernstein, Toni Sacconaghi, they've, Dan DeFrancesco, Hallam Bullock, George Glover, Grace Lett Organizations: Business, Service, Prosecutors, Big Tech, Companies, Pew, ChatGPT, Microsoft, League Baseball's Locations: Manhattan, New York, London, Chicago

☆ Microsoft's hiring of Inflection staff came amid a lack of consumer-AI vision and board concerns about OpenAI, insiders say
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-20 | by ( Ashley Stewart | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Microsoft's hiring spree from the startup Inflection AI came amid concerns from the software giant's board about instability at OpenAI and internal doubts about consumer-AI vision and strategy, insiders said. Suleyman, who cofounded the AI pioneer DeepMind, is set to be CEO of Microsoft AI. Microsoft's consumer-AI vision needed a boostSome Microsoft insiders told Business Insider the company's consumer-AI strategy needed a boost and more of a visionary leader. As the new CEO of Microsoft AI, Suleyman's purview is set to include thousands of employees who report to Mikhail Parakhin. Parakhin has played a significant role in Microsoft's AI work and is generally respected within the company for his technical prowess.

Persons: Mustafa Suleyman, Karén Simonyan, Suleyman, they've, Mikhail Parakhin, Parakhin, Rajesh Jha, Jha wasn't, Jha, Microsoft's, Frank Shaw, Shaw, Sam Altman, Satya Nadella, Nadella hadn't, Nadella, Amy Hood, It's, didn't, OpenAI Organizations: Big Tech, Business, Microsoft, BI, Google, Insiders, Microsoft's Locations: OpenAI

☆ Microsoft insiders worry the company has become just 'IT for OpenAI'
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-11 | by ( Ashley Stewart | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Some Microsoft insiders worry the company's AI strategy has become too focused on its partnership with OpenAI. Insiders say Microsoft is focused less on the internal services that previously made up Azure AI Services and more on the Azure OpenAI service. The Azure OpenAI service has hundreds of developers supporting customers of Microsoft's Azure cloud service who use OpenAI's GPT models. Some Microsoft employees work so closely with OpenAI that they have badges to get into OpenAI's offices, and some OpenAI employees can badge into Microsoft locations. Axel Springer, Business Insider's parent company, has a global deal to allow OpenAI to train its models on its media brands' reporting.

Persons: Eric Boyd, Scott, That's, Frank Shaw, Shaw, Ashley Stewart, Axel Springer Organizations: Microsoft, OpenAI, Business, AI Services, AI Bot

☆ Copilot dreams and nightmares: Microsoft insiders share what they really think about the company's AI future.
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-06 | by ( Ashley Stewart | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +13 min

"Customers trust Microsoft more than OpenAI since they already buy Microsoft's ecosystem," a Microsoft AI researcher told BI. "Almost everyone I know is working on Copilot to a certain extent," the Microsoft AI researcher told BI. "It's too premature to assume this is going to be a race to the bottom on price," another Microsoft executive said. Some Microsoft employees work so closely with OpenAI that they have badges to get into OpenAI's offices, and some OpenAI employees can badge into Microsoft locations. Mistral models will be offered to Microsoft customers along with about 1,600 other models including Cohere and Meta's Llama.

Persons: there's, Morgan Stanley, Satya Nadella, they've, they're, Frank Shaw, Shaw, That's, OpenAI, JPMorgan Chase, It's, Dentsu, Shiva Vannavada, Vannavada, Eric Boyd, Scott, John Montgomery, Asha Sharma, Ashley Stewart Organizations: Microsoft, Business, Enterprise, Walmart, JPMorgan, BI, Google, Dentsu, Product, Technology, Employees, Nvidia, DA Davidson, AI Services, AI Bot, OpenAI Locations: OpenAI, Mistral

☆ Microsoft engineer sounds alarm on company's AI image generator in letter to FTC
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-06 | by ( Aaron Mok | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

AdvertisementJones claimed in the letter that Microsoft's AI image generator can add "harmful content" to images that can be created using "benign" prompts. Jones, Microsoft, and the FTC didn't immediately respond to Business Insider's request for comment before publication. AdvertisementThis isn't the first time Shane publicly vocalized his concerns about Microsoft's AI image generator. Microsoft isn't the only major tech company that's been slammed for its AI image generator. "In a competitive race to be the most trustworthy AI company, Microsoft needs to lead, not follow or fall behind," he wrote.

Persons: —, Shane Jones, Jones, Vader, FTC didn't, Shane, OpenAI's ChatGPT, Demis Organizations: Service, Microsoft, Federal Trade Commission, Copilot, Business, LinkedIn, Star, CNBC, FTC, Google, Gemini

☆ Amazon's internal documents warn employees not to use generative AI models for work
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-22 | by ( Ashley Stewart | Eugene Kim | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Amazon is warning employees not to use third-party generative AI tools for work, according to multiple internal guidances viewed by Business Insider. Amazon's internal third-party generative AI use and interaction policy, viewed by BI, warns that the companies offering generative AI services may take a license to or ownership over anything employees input into tools like OpenAI's ChatGPT. Amazon's internal generative AI policy states employees can use third-party models for work if they obtain director and legal approval and comply with any applicable security reviews. Amazon's spokesperson Adam Montgomery said the company has been developing generative AI and large machine learning models for a long time and employees use its AI models every day. "We have safeguards in place for employee use of these technologies, including guidance on accessing third-party generative AI services and protecting confidential information," Montgomery said.

Persons: Amazon's, Adam Montgomery, Montgomery, Ashley Stewart, Eugene Kim Organizations: Business, BI, Microsoft Locations: OpenAI

☆ CEO quit his 6-figure job at Microsoft—and landed a $300,000 'Shark Tank' offer for his new startup
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-20 | by ( Ashton Jackson | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

A self-proclaimed "serial plant killer" went on ABC's "Shark Tank" — and came away with a $300,000 offer for his houseplant health company Flora. Flora was founded in 2022 by Aabesh De, a former Microsoft employee who quit his "cushy" six-figure job to build a soil meter and accompanying app that alerts people about the health of their houseplants. "My dear mother gave me her prized rose bush plant that she had for years," De, 29, said on the show. "I would never go for a subscription model after buying [the soil meter]," she said. "I think you're smart as hell, and I like to invest in people who are smart as hell," Greiner said.

Persons: Aabesh De, De, we've, weren't, Robert Herjavec, Mark Cuban, Kevin O'Leary, O'Leary, Barbara Corcoran, Lori Greiner, Greiner, You've Organizations: Microsoft, CNBC Locations: Flora

☆ The Apple exec that Microsoft hired to fulfill its hardware dreams has quietly left
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-06 | by ( Ashley Stewart | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Rubén Caballero, the ex-Apple executive Microsoft hired in 2020 to run device engineering in mixed reality and AI, appears to have quietly left the company. Microsoft also recently published a post stating its commitment to the HoloLens 2 device and mixed reality. Caballero worked for Apple from 2005 to 2014, including a stint as president of engineering. Microsoft hired Caballero in 2020 to work on devices such as HoloLens in the company's mixed reality and AI organization. Caballero joined Panay's Windows and Devices organization in 2022, and Microsoft has whittled down some hardware teams since then.

Persons: Rubén Caballero, Caballero, Microsoft's, Frank Shaw, Panos Panay, Ashley Stewart Organizations: Apple, Microsoft, Business, Amazon, Insiders, BI, Windows, Panay's Windows Locations: Panay

☆ Satya Nadella's first decade as Microsoft CEO was defined by cloud. What's next?
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-04 | by ( Jordan Novet | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +11 min

Jason Redmond | AFP | Getty ImagesWhen Satya Nadella replaced Steve Ballmer as Microsoft CEO in February 2014, the software company was mired in mediocrity. Many tech industry analysts and investors would say that, thanks largely to Nadella, Microsoft is now set up to be a powerhouse for the foreseeable future. In a 2020 interview, Pat Gelsinger, then CEO of VMware, said offering his company's software on Microsoft's Azure cloud was akin to a "Middle East peace treaty." Nadella is perhaps best known in the tech industry for pushing Microsoft deeper into cloud computing. While some in the younger generations have Microsoft software at work, it's not necessarily what they grew up using and may not be what they prefer.

Persons: Satya Nadella, Bing, Jason Redmond, Steve Ballmer, Aravind Srinivas, Jeff Bezos, Nadella, Aaron Levie, Levie, Larry Ellison, David Paul Morris, Pat Gelsinger, Michael Nathan, Nathan, he'd, He's, Nat Friedman, Friedman, Kevork Djansezian, Ballmer, Kevin Dallas, I've, Dallas, it's, Gen Z, OpenAI's, Commission's Lina Khan, Sam Altman, Altman, OpenAI isn't, hasn't, Jefferies Organizations: Microsoft, AFP, Getty, Apple, Google, Amazon, Oracle Corp, Oracle, Bloomberg, VMware, Intel, Linux, Ballmer, Los Angeles Clippers, Microsoft Corp, Nokia, Activision Blizzard, Adobe, Activision, Federal, U.S . Justice Department, CNBC Locations: Redmond , Washington, San Francisco, Microsoft's, Silicon Valley, Los Angeles , California, U.S, Europe

☆ Satya Nadella's life and career, from computer-science student to CEO of Microsoft and turning it into a $3 trillion titan
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-28 | by ( Polly Thompson | Matt Weinberger | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

Sign up to get the inside scoop on today’s biggest stories in markets, tech, and business — delivered daily. Read previewWhen Satya Nadella took over as Microsoft CEO on February 4, 2014, the company was struggling. This story is available exclusively to Business Insider subscribers. In January, as 56-year-old Nadella neared a decade in charge, Microsoft overtook Apple to become the world's most valuable public company and is now worth about $3 trillion. Here's how Nadella worked his way up the ranks of Microsoft and executed this startling turnaround.

Persons: —, Satya Nadella, Bill Gates, Nadella Organizations: Service, Microsoft, Business, Apple

☆ What Microsoft’s hack means for its $20 billion cybersecurity franchise and its rivals
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-22 | by ( Morgan Chittum | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

Microsoft 's hacking disclosure could be a challenge for its $20 billion-a-year cybersecurity franchise but bullish news for fellow portfolio name and rival Palo Alto Networks. Microsoft stock was trading modestly lower Monday but has climbed more than 5% since the start of 2024 following last year's 56% gains. Microsoft's cybersecurity incident doesn't leave us any less bullish on the mega-cap name. While its cybersecurity business pulls in about $20 billion in annual sales, Microsoft's revenue jumped 7% in 2023 to nearly $212 billion. The Securities and Exchange Commission's (SEC) new disclosure rules around cybersecurity attacks could be another catalyst for Palo Alto, Jim added.

Persons: hasn't, Nobelium, Jim Cramer, Jim, Palo, Exchange Commission's, Nikesh Arora, Estee Lauder, Clorox, Okta, Jim Cramer's, Satya Nadella, Justin Sullivan Organizations: Microsoft, Palo Alto Networks, Wall, SolarWinds, Apple, JPMorgan, Securities, Exchange, SEC, Palo Alto, Corporations, Palo, CNBC, MGM Resorts, Caesars Entertainment Locations: Russian, Palo, Palo Alto, Davos, Switzerland, San Francisco

☆ OpenAI quietly removes ban on military use of its AI tools
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-16 | by ( Hayden Field | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, during an interview at Bloomberg House on the opening day of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, on Jan. 16, 2024. OpenAI has quietly walked back a ban on the military use of ChatGPT and its other artificial intelligence tools. The shift comes as OpenAI begins to work with the U.S. Department of Defense on AI tools, including open-source cybersecurity tools, Anna Makanju, OpenAI's VP of global affairs, said Tuesday in a Bloomberg House interview at the World Economic Forum alongside CEO Sam Altman. The news comes after years of controversy about tech companies developing technology for military use, highlighted by the public concerns of tech workers — especially those working on AI. Workers at virtually every tech giant involved with military contracts have voiced concerns after thousands of Google employees protested Project Maven, a Pentagon project that would use Google AI to analyze drone surveillance footage.

Persons: Sam Altman, OpenAI, Anna Makanju, OpenAI's, Makanju, Maven Organizations: Bloomberg House, Economic, U.S . Department of Defense, Bloomberg, Workers, Google, Pentagon, Microsoft, CNBC PRO Locations: Davos, Switzerland

☆ Microsoft assures investors it's spreading its AI bets beyond just OpenAI
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-07 | by ( Ashley Stewart | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

AI was a major focus of questions from Microsoft investors during the event. AdvertisementOn Thursday, Microsoft executives made a point to assure investors that it has many irons in the fire when it comes to AI, not just OpenAI. Microsoft Chief Financial Officer Amy Hood jumped in to emphasize the company has AI partners beyond OpenAI. AdvertisementAs Business Insider recently reported, the chaos at OpenAI caused some partners to start looking for a "plan B" for their AI model needs. Are you an OpenAI, or Microsoft employee, or someone with a tip or insight to share?

Persons: —, OpenAI, Sam Altman, Altman, Satya Nadella, Nadella, Amy Hood, Hood, Ashley Stewart Organizations: Service, Business, Microsoft Locations: OpenAI, astewart@insider.com

After the sudden ouster of their CEO, hundreds of OpenAI employees signed an open letter demanding Altman's reinstatement and the resignation of the board. And for at least some of those OpenAI employees, there's relief that they don't actually have to go work for Microsoft. Advertisement"Even though we have a partnership with Microsoft, internally, we have no respect for their talent bar," the current OpenAI employee told BI. Money, the great motivatorBeyond the culture clash between the two companies, there was another important factor at play for OpenAI employees: money. Furious Microsoft employeesSome Microsoft employees, meanwhile, were furious that the company promised to match salaries for hundreds of OpenAI employees.

Persons: —, Sam Altman, Altman, Greg Brockman, Brockman, OpenAI, who's, Kali Hays, Ashley Stewart, Darius Rafieyan Organizations: Service, OpenAI, Microsoft, Business, BI, San, CNBC Locations: OpenAI ., San Francisco, OpenAI, khays@insider.com, astewart@insider.com

☆ 'The most taboo topic I've ever seen': Inside Microsoft's war over the war in Gaza
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-28 | by ( Ashley Stewart | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +16 min

Viva Engage, Microsoft's slick message board designed to compete with Slack, is often touted as "Facebook for work." In October, according to internal messages viewed by BI, a Microsoft employee shared a post praising child tax credits as a way to reduce poverty. Employees with pro-Palestinian views have also used inflammatory language in their posts on Viva Engage. It has cut off the comments to Viva Engage posts it considered too incendiary. "It's important to recognize the pain and suffering of so many people, including our colleagues, as the events in Israel, Gaza, and the surrounding region continue to unfold," Nadella wrote.

Persons: Slack, —, Sandy Hook, chimed, George Floyd, Satya Nadella, Roe, Wade, Kathleen Hogan, Israel, Nadella, Benjamin Netanyahu, Charlie Bell, Scott Guthrie, Rajesh Jha, Microsoft's, Cherry, Davis Polk, Israel's, Ashley Stewart Organizations: Viva Engage, Facebook, Microsoft, Business, Engage, BI, Employees, Israel, Israel Defense Forces, Harvard, Hamas, Wardwell, Ivy League, New York Times, Apple, Amazon Web Services Locations: Israel, Gaza, Uvalde, Columbia, Silicon Valley, America, Haifa, Herzliya , Tel Aviv, Nazareth, Palestine, Gaza . Harvard, Tel Aviv, Seattle

☆ Some Microsoft employees fume over the company's open offer to hire hundreds of OpenAI staff
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-22 | by ( Ashley Stewart | Julie Bort | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

When Microsoft CTO Kevin Scott said the company would hire hundreds of OpenAI employees and match their current compensation, some Microsoft workers were furious. For existing Microsoft workers, 2023 was a year in which they feared for their jobs and their pay. In an open letter, nearly all of OpenAI's workforce said "Microsoft has assured us that there are positions for all OpenAI employees." Scott confirmed the offer in a post on X, writing that all OpenAI employees had "a role at Microsoft" and that the software giant would match their OpenAI compensation. However, the damage to morale among some Microsoft employees has already been done.

Persons: Kevin Scott, Satya Nadella, OpenAI, Sam Altman, Nadella, he'd, Altman, Greg Brockman, Scott Organizations: Microsoft, Business

☆ OpenAI staffers who signed a letter saying they're going to join Sam Altman at Microsoft don't actually have official job offers yet
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-21 | by ( Kali Hays | Ashley Stewart | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Details of these verbal assurances stipulated that OpenAI employees who quit would receive the same amount of total compensation they receive at OpenAI should they be hired by Microsoft. What Microsoft can and can't do comes down to what CEO Satya Nadella wants to see happen at his company, a Microsoft employee said. Ultimately, a move to Microsoft is not what OpenAI employees really wish to happen. Although everyone who signed the letter has shown they are willing to work for Microsoft, so long as Altman is there, too, they have little desire to work there. The company is enormous compared to OpenAI, with a reputation for bureaucracy, slower work and lower pay, one of the employees said.

Persons: Sam Altman, Altman, Greg Brockman, Satya Nadella, Nadella, Satya, Sam Organizations: Microsoft, Wired, Business, Big Tech

☆ OpenAI's new CEO Emmett Shear said the company handled Sam Altman's ousting 'very badly' and 'seriously damaged our trust'
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-20 | by ( Jyoti Mann | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

OpenAI's new CEO, Emmett Shear, criticized Sam Altman's ousting as damaging trust in the company. AdvertisementThe new CEO of OpenAI said the way Sam Altman was ousted was "handled very badly" and has "seriously damaged our trust." "And it's clear that the process and communications around Sam's removal has been handled very badly, which has seriously damaged our trust." AdvertisementShear claims he accepted the "once-in-a-lifetime opportunity" to step up as the interim CEO only "a few hours" after he got the call offering him the top job. It comes after OpenAI cofounder Altman was forced out of the company Friday.

Persons: Emmett Shear, Sam Altman's, Shear, wasn't, —, OpenAI, Sam Altman, Altman, Insider's Kali Hays, Ashley Stewart, Satya Nadella, Greg Brockman Organizations: Service, West Coast, Microsoft Locations: West

☆ Here are Monday's biggest analyst calls: Nvidia, Apple, Amazon, Boeing, Tesla, Dell, Microsoft & more
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-20 | by ( Michael Bloom | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +10 min

Raymond James reiterates Nvidia as strong buy Raymond James said it's bullish heading into Nvidia earnings on Tuesday. Bernstein reiterates Tesla as underperform Bernstein said it's standing by its underperform rating on Tesla as EV growth is slowing. JPMorgan upgrades Dutch Bros to overweight from neutral JPMorgan said the coffee chain has "strong available liquidity" to continue to grow. " JPMorgan downgrades Krispy Kreme to neutral from overweight JPMorgan downgraded the stock mainly on valuation. " Melius initiates Dell as buy Melius Research initiated Dell with a buy and said it's an "inexpensive" way to play AI.

Persons: Wolfe, ChargePoint, Jefferies, it's bullish, Raymond James, it's, Stifel, Wells, Bernstein, Tesla, underperform Bernstein, BTIG, Morgan Stanley downgrades Chegg, Morgan Stanley, LT, Hewlett Packard Evercore, Goldman Sachs, Krystal, Goldman, Penn, Energizer, Sherwin, Williams, Dell, Oppenheimer, OpenAI's Sam Altman, Sam Altman Organizations: Cedar Fair, SIX, Nvidia, Resources, MNR, ARM, Acorn, Apple, JPMorgan, Deutsche Bank, Boeing, Deutsche, Bros, Brands, Hewlett, Krystal Biotech, " Bank of America, of America, ESPN, PENN Entertainment, ESPN Bet, Citi, UBS, Kosmos Energy, Bank of America, CSN, HSBC, Caterpillar, BMO, Wedbush, Research, Microsoft Locations: NVDA, China, ENR, Brazil, Australia, Vale, 2024e

☆ Sam Altman's ouster leaves OpenAI, Microsoft employees 'completely shocked,' insiders say
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-18 | by ( Kali Hays | Ashley Stewart | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

The announcement left OpenAI and Microsoft workers "completely shocked," people inside both companies told Business Insider. Another shock came about an hour later when OpenAI co-founder and president Greg Brockman announced that he had "quit" over Altman's ouster. Perhaps there were signs all was not well when it came to OpenAI's business, one Microsoft employee told BI, which Microsoft has reportedly backed to the tune of at least $10 billion. Are you an OpenAI employee or someone with a tip or insight to share? Are you a Microsoft employee?

Persons: Sam Altman, Altman, Mira Murati, Ilya Sutskever, He's, OpenAI, Greg Brockman, Brockman, shakeup, Steve Jobs, Satya Nadella, we're, Kali Hays Organizations: Microsoft, Business, OpenAI's San, Apple, OpenAI, Microsoft Ignite, Twitter Locations: OpenAI, OpenAI's San Francisco, Mira, Copilot, khays@insider.com, @hayskali

☆ At this year's AfroTech conference, Black tech workers sang, pitched, and worried about being laid off
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-07 | by ( Monica Melton | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The biggest tech companies had less of a presence at this year's AfroTech Conference , a large gathering of Black tech professionals. Black joy and celebration were on display while the reality of a tougher tech job market lurked in the background. Not technical enoughSeveral tech employees lamented that the programming wasn't technical enough to be useful to them. They were comfortable speaking to an audience that looked like them, but also felt an urgency to share knowledge that Black tech professionals don't always get access to. While many of the Black tech workers at Afrotech were waiting for the other shoe to drop, they also scouted for startup ideas and funding.

Persons: hasn't, Morgan Stanley, Austin, Issa Rae, Rick Ross, Jadakiss, Wes Eugene, IDEO, goer, Jason Lee, Lee Organizations: Microsoft, Engineering, Labs Locations: Afrotech

☆ Amazon's $1 billion cloud deal with Microsoft includes 550,000 licenses for corporate employees and 1 million for warehouse workers
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-02 | by ( Ashley Stewart | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Amazon's multiyear commitment to use Microsoft 365 includes more than 1.5 million license seats across different tiers of Microsoft's cloud-based productivity suite, according to a person with direct knowledge of the deal. The pact includes around 550,000 seats of Microsoft's M365 E5 product for corporate workers and 1 million seats of M365 F5 for frontline staff such as fulfillment center employees, the person said. A person familiar with Amazon's operations said the company stayed off of the cloud version of Microsoft's 365 products because they didn't previously want to save anything on a competitor's cloud. F5 is an upgraded version of Microsoft's M365 product for frontline workers. M365 F5 starts at $8 per user per month, which would be $480 million for all 1 million licenses over 5 years.

Persons: Amazon's, It's Organizations: Microsoft, Amazon

☆ Gen Z is lonely. Going back to the office may be the cure for some.
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-31 | by ( Aaron Mok | Lakshmi Varanasi | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +12 min

The solitude of remote work seemed to particularly hit Gen Z workers — who began their careers as workplaces went from in-person to virtual — hard. With companies asking — and in some cases mandating — their employees return to the office, Gen Z workers who are going in regularly have said they have a renewed sense of confidence in their jobs. Since Fitchett's employer started mandating employees go to the office, Fitchett said he finally feels a sense of ease at his job. Don't expect a full-scale return to the office quite yetThere's more that goes into a worker's preferences than loneliness, and Gen Z workers are mixed about returning to the office full time. For her — and many other Gen Z workers — the solution may come in some form of flexibility.

Persons: Ben Fitchett didn't, Fitchett, Ben Fitchett, Ben Fitchett Young, Aaron Terrazas, —, Cigna, Hubert Palan, Z, Covid —, Palan, Vivek Murthy, it's, Mansoor Soomro, Soomro, Gen, Juanita Garcia, Garcia, who've, Zers, Anita Pan —, Anita Pan, Pan, Ricky Yean, Zers —, Yean, Bianca Wu, Bianca Wu Bianca Wu, Wu, wouldn't Organizations: Company, Teesside University, Starbucks, Flow, Dell Locations: New Zealand, Los Angeles, New York, Washington , DC, Bay

☆ Microsoft just shut down 'industrial metaverse' product Project Airsim, and laid off its team, as it shifts its AI strategy to OpenAI
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-24 | by ( Ashley Stewart | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Microsoft just shut down Project Airsim, its AI-based drone simulation software that was part of its vision for an "industrial metaverse," Insider has learned. Both projects were considered part of Microsoft's "industrial metaverse." Project Airsim was originally launched as an open-source project in 2017, though it later shifted focus into a product for industrial customers. Microsoft kept Project Airsim around because it believed there were large prospective customers for the product, the person said. Gurdeep Pall, previously head of product incubations and business AI who at one point ran Project Bonsai and most recently ran Project Airsim, left last month after 33 years with the company.

Persons: Airsim, Kevin Scott, Scott, OpenAI ramped, Gurdeep Pall Organizations: Microsoft, Microsoft Chief, OpenAI, Amazon Web Services, Airsim Locations: OpenAI

☆ Microsoft shut down an internal employee discussion on the Israel-Hamas war
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-23 | by ( Ashley Stewart | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Microsoft shut down a discussion between employees about the Israel-Hamas war, internal messages show. "Amidst the ongoing Palestinian Israeli war, it saddens me to witness a company that so strongly promotes Diversity and Inclusion show such strong discrimination and marginalization," the person wrote. The post does not specifically reference which comments from senior leaders the employee viewed as biased. "We have Palestinian employees globally who are deeply concerned for the safety of their loved ones in the region and stand against these acts of terrorism." Are you a Microsoft employee?

Persons: Kathleen Hogan, Hogan, Innocent, Hamas's Organizations: Microsoft, Viva Engage, Microsoft Employee, Group, Hamas, Nvidia Locations: Israel, Palestinian, Gaza

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