Mediaboss Marketing

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella is guiding the company through one of the most important years in its history. (GeekWire File Photo / Todd Bishop)

This week on the GeekWire Podcast: Microsoft staked its financial claim in the AI gold rush this week, announcing pricing for its upcoming Microsoft 365 Copilot technology: a whopping $30/user per month on top of its existing license fees.

Wall Street loved it. One analyst called it eye popping. Investors sent the companys shares to a new record on the day the news was announced.

The upcoming product, fueled by Microsoft and OpenAI technologies, is designed to integrate with Microsoft productivity apps and work with internal business data, going beyond the capabilities of web-based generative AI technologies.

But will companies see that much value in what Microsoft has to offer? Microsoft 365 Copilot is still in private preview, for now, but the pricing suggests that the company likes what its seeing and hearing from early users.

Its part of a big week that also saw the company clear a major hurdle in its $69 billion Activision-Blizzard acquisition, winning a key court ruling and giving itself an extra three months of breathing room to complete the blockbuster gaming deal.

But behind the scenes, Microsoft is grappling with shaky morale amid ongoing cutbacks, and growing questions about the gap between employee and executive compensation.

Meanwhile, a high-profile U.S. government breach by a Chinese hacking group is raising new questions about the security of Microsoft products, and threatening to undermine a growing source of revenue for the company.

Its shaping up as one of the biggest years in Microsoft history, and this was perhaps the biggest week of the year so far for the company.

Next up: Microsoft will report its quarterly earnings Tuesday.

Stories discussed on this weeks show:

Listen above, or subscribe to GeekWire in Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you listen.

More here:

GeekWire Podcast: Microsoft's big bet on the AI economy, and the ... - GeekWire