Latest news with #Liuson
Time of India
17 hours ago
- Business
- Time of India
How Microsoft's rift with OpenAI is making this a mandatory part of Microsoft's work culture
Microsoft 's deteriorating relationship with OpenAI is forcing the tech giant to make AI usage mandatory for employees, as competitive pressures from the partnership dispute drive workplace culture changes at the company. Lagging Copilot usage drives cultural shift at Microsoft "AI is no longer optional," Julia Liuson, president of Microsoft's Developer Division, told managers in a recent email obtained by Business Insider. She instructed them to evaluate employee performance based on internal AI tool usage, calling it "core to every role and every level." The mandate comes as Microsoft faces lagging internal adoption of its Copilot AI services while competition intensifies in the AI coding market. GitHub Copilot, Microsoft's flagship AI coding assistant, is losing ground to rivals like Cursor, which recent Barclays data suggests has surpassed Copilot in key developer segments. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like If you have a mouse, play this game for 1 minute Navy Quest Undo OpenAI partnership tensions spill over into workplace policies The partnership tensions have reached a critical point where OpenAI is considering acquiring Windsurf, a competitor to Microsoft's GitHub Copilot, but Microsoft's existing deal would grant it access to Windsurf's intellectual property, creating an impasse that neither OpenAI nor Windsurf wants, sources familiar with the talks told Business Insider. Microsoft allows employees to use some external AI tools that meet security requirements, including coding assistant Replit. However, the company wants workers building AI products to better understand their own tools while driving broader internal usage. Some Microsoft teams are considering adding formal AI usage metrics to performance reviews for the next fiscal year, Business Insider learned from people familiar with the plans. The initiative reflects Microsoft's broader strategy to ensure its workforce embraces AI tools as competition heats up. Liuson emphasized that AI usage "should be part of your holistic reflections on an individual's performance and impact," treating it like other core workplace skills such as collaboration and data-driven thinking. The move signals how AI adoption has become essential to Microsoft's competitive positioning amid evolving partnerships and market pressures.
Business Insider
a day ago
- Business
- Business Insider
Microsoft pushes staff to use internal AI tools more, and may consider this in reviews. 'Using AI is no longer optional.'
Microsoft is asking some managers to evaluate employees based on how much they use AI internally, and the software giant is considering adding a metric related to this in its review process, Business Insider has learned. Julia Liuson, president of the Microsoft division responsible for developer tools such as AI coding service GitHub Copilot, recently sent an email instructing managers to evaluate employee performance based on their use of internal AI tools like this. "AI is now a fundamental part of how we work," Liuson wrote. "Just like collaboration, data-driven thinking, and effective communication, using AI is no longer optional — it's core to every role and every level." Liuson told managers that AI "should be part of your holistic reflections on an individual's performance and impact." Microsoft's performance requirements vary from team to team, and some are considering including a more formal metric about the use of internal AI tools in performance reviews for its next fiscal year, according to a person familiar with the situation. This person asked not to be identified discussing private matters. These changes are meant to address what Microsoft sees as lagging internal adoption of its Copilot AI services, according to another two people with knowledge of the plans. The company wants to increase usage broadly, but also wants the employees building these products have a better understanding of the tools. In Liuson's organization, GitHub Copilot is facing increasing competition from AI coding services including Cursor. Microsoft lets employees use some external AI tools that meet certain security requirements. Staff are currently allowed to use coding assistant Replit, for example, one of the people said. A recent note from Barclays cited data suggesting that Cursor recently surpassed GitHub Copilot in a key part of the developer market. Competition among coding tools is even becoming a sticking point in Microsoft's renegotiation of its most important partnership with OpenAI. OpenAI is considering acquiring Cursor competitor Windsurf, but Microsoft's current deal with OpenAI would give it access to Windsurf's intellectual property and neither Windsurf nor OpenAI wants that, a person with knowledge of the talks said.
