Satya Nadella woos Windows users with OS improvement pledges: 'We are focused on fundamentals, prioritizing quality, and serving our core users better'

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella appears to have extended an olive branch to Windows users following several months of backlash over the direction of the operating system.

Speaking during the company’s recent earnings call, Nadella specifically highlighted efforts to improve experiences for Windows and Xbox users.

“When it comes to our consumer business, we are doing the foundational work required to win back fans and strengthen engagement across Windows, Xbox, Bing, and Edge,” he told listeners.

“In the near term, we are focused on fundamentals, prioritizing quality and serving our core users better”.

Nadella pointed to efforts the tech giant has already made, including performance improvements for lower-memory devices, as well as a “streamlined” Windows Update experience.

He added that it has “brought back focus to core features and fundamentals that matter most to our customers”.

Nadella’s comments come in the wake of mounting concerns about the future of the Windows operating system, with users pushing back on AI-related improvements.

In November last year, Windows chief Pavan Davuluri sparked controversy with a post on X outlining plans to transform Windows into an “agentic OS” that will offer users a “multi-modal” experience.

The post sparked a fierce backlash among users, with some questioning why the tech giant was focusing so heavily on integrating AI features while other areas like performance and reliability were being overlooked.

That initial furore appeared to have resonated with the company, and in March this year Davuluri detailed plans to dial back "unnecessary" Copilot features within the operating system.

In a blog post at the time, Davuluri said the company will only integrate AI where it’s “most meaningful”.

“You will see us be more intentional about how and where Copilot integrates across Windows, focusing on experiences that are genuinely useful and well‑crafted,” he wrote.

That same move by the company also marked efforts to improve feedback from users - the “largest update to Feedback Hub yet” - which aimed to make it easier to submit feedback.

Nadella touts strong Windows uptake

Elsewhere in the earnings call this week, Nadella highlighted positive user growth on Windows 11 – an area in which the company has faced an uphill battle.

Figures touted by the Microsoft chief now put monthly active users at over 1.6 billion.

Windows 11 uptake has been sluggish since its launch in 2021, largely due to the huge popularity of its predecessor. Indeed, Windows 11 only overtook Windows 10 in popularity last year, nearly four years after its official release.

As ITPro reported at the time, figures from Statcounter showed the newer OS finally edged into the lead in mid-July.

“Across everything I have talked about, we are also hard at work changing the way we work,” he said. “Our north star remains the same: delivering customer value with highest quality and top-class innovation."

Nadella’s comments came as Microsoft announced strong quarterly earnings. Chief financial officer (CFO) Amy Hood said the company “delivered results that exceeded expectations across revenue, operating income, and earnings per share”.

Annual revenue run rate for Microsoft’s AI business surpassed $37 billion in the company’s third quarter, growing 123% year-over-year.

Business is also booming for Microsoft Cloud, Nadella noted, which exceeded $54 billion in revenue, marking a 29% increase year-over-year.

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