Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella is reported to have reacted negatively to an internal corporate memo outlining a strategy for the company’s new AI tool “Scout.” Multiple outlets report that the memo, authored by Microsoft corporate vice president Omar Shahine along with Jakob Werner, describes a multi-phase launch approach intended to encourage frequent, habitual use. One report says the memo uses language framing the goal as “making people addicted,” and it includes details about fostering daily user dependence. The account further states that Nadella challenged the premise in a message posted on an internal message board, and that his response was linked to reporting by tech outlet 404 Media. Another source reports that Nadella has already publicly dismissed the “addiction” goal as “nonsense.”
The sources agree the dispute centers on how Scout should be used and marketed, specifically whether the company should pursue user dependency as an objective. The reports also agree that the initial memo has been circulated internally and subsequently surfaced through leaked documentation and related media coverage.
