Microsoft Saddles Up Like Don Quixot-AI
March 25, 2026
Another dinobaby post. No AI unless it is an image. This dinobaby is not Grandma Moses, just Grandpa Arnold.
Two stories caught my attention about America’s answer to the l’Académie française. You know that’s Microsoft, the outfit trying to eliminate the word “microslop” from global speech. Yeah, good luck with that.
Two Sloppies look at the results of their smart software efforts. Thanks, Venice.ai. Good enough and you didn’t tell me my prompts violated your sense of decency. I know I produce really controversial prompts. But I feel safe knowing you are watching.
The first write up about Microslop is “Microsoft Realizes It’s Epically Screwed Up Windows 11 as Users Rage at Copilot AI Crammed Everywhere.” Obviously Futurism has decided to tow the linguistic line. The headline suggests that one of those New Coke and Bud Lite moments has arrived. A change to a beloved and absolutely wonderful product has sparked disgruntlement.
The write up reports:
Microsoft seems to have finally noticed that its house is on fire, particularly following the heavy-handed embrace of AI garnering it the widely used pejorative of “Microslop.” Unsubstantiated rumors over Windows 12 embracing AI even more triggered a massive uproar earlier this month, once again highlighting widespread disillusionment.
Microslop’s leadership team member allegedly said:
…we are reducing unnecessary Copilot entry points, starting with apps like Snipping Tool, Photos, Widgets and Notepad.
An ASCII editor without smart software. Are you kidding me? Apparently not. Futurism believes that Microslop has realized after billions of dollars and years of hoo-hah that the company’s AI craziness is the digital equivalent of the Jaguar rebranding. (Hey, will the new Jags have a Windows AI agent on board? Just a thought for Microsoft leadership.)
So this is an apparent retrenchment, mea culpa, and crawfish bundled into one PR-type comment.
But there’s more in a second article. In corporate America, someone has to take the fall for a big money failure, and it is definitely not the Big Dog of Softie leadership. No, siree.
The article “Satya Nadella Paid $650M to Recruit His AI Chief. 2 Years Later, He’s Quietly Sidelining Him — And the Numbers Behind the Move Are Brutal” says:
Microsoft [shouldn’t this have been Microslop?] CEO Satya Nadella announced a sweeping reorganization of the company’s AI leadership on March 17, unifying its consumer and enterprise Copilot teams under a single executive and quietly sidelining Mustafa Suleyman — the former DeepMind co-founder he paid $650 million to bring aboard just two years ago.
I don’t want to beat a dead strategy. However, several observations appear to be warranted:
First, how can large companies think up, plan, deploy, and then flounder in the midst of obvious customer outcry? I wish I had an answer. The fact that these missteps occur is interesting because it demonstrates that [a] awareness of what will fly and what won’t is short circuited and [b] significant time and money go down the drain before leadership takes corrective action. Remarkable.
Second, smart software in 2022 was a clever marketing stunt to put Google on its back paw. That worked. The movement from marketing to revenue did not happen. Smart software is from my point of view a utility like search and retrieval. It is a Don Quixote technology. The marketing of the attack on a windmill is okay. Trying to make marketing match up with reality is difficult and sometimes impossible. Case in point: AI in Notepad. What were the Sloppies thinking? Notepad!
Third, Microslop in my opinion is the first of the Big AI Tech (BAIT) outfits to do the good old switcheroo. Others will follow when they learn: [a] Smart software creates problems of sufficient complexity that humans can’t solve them. And [b] when the mistakes spark kinetic reactions. These will be coming because Microslop powers a number of nations’ computer systems. With AI baked in, the potential energy is going to be released and not in a controlled and planned way. There will be booms.
Finally, a reorganization makes sense for quarterly investor calls and news releases. In reality, the reorg just underscores how poorly conceived and implemented was the Microslop grand plan. How do I know? The word “microsoft” came into being for a reason.
Net net: I bet those cheap Apple Neo gizmos will sell because Microslop failed to anticipate the knock on reaction from their Copilot in Notepad thing. Notepad! Carpletland leadership deserves a bonus for these bold decisions. Sancho, saddle up.
Stephen E Arnold, March 25, 2026
Comments
Got something to say?
-
- Subscribe to Beyond Search
Feature archive
News archive
-
