Windows president addresses current state of Windows 11 after AI backlash

Microsoft's Windows lead Pavan Davuluri has commented on recent backlash regarding the current state and direction of Windows. In a post on X, Davuluri acknowledges the recent comments from users and says he and his team are taking in all the feedback.

"The team (and I) take in a ton of feedback. We balance what we see in our product feedback systems with what we hear directly. They don’t always match, but both are important. I've read through the comments and see focus on things like reliability, performance, ease of use and more" says Davuluri.

His post is in response to Gergely Orosz, who was criticizing Windows as a platform for developers. Davuluri says "we care deeply about developers. We know we have work to do on the experience, both on the everyday usability, from inconsistent dialogs to power user experiences. When we meet as a team, we discuss these pain points and others in detail, because we want developers to choose Windows."

Davuluri has since disabled replies on his original post that mentioned Windows becoming an agentic OS, which some people viewed as an attempt to shut out negative feedback. However, Davuluri's latest response is a lot more reassuring, confirming that the company is aware of the backlash and is addressing issues and concerns about Windows as a platform outside of AI, for people like power users and developers that use Windows as a tool.

He specifically mentions pain points like inconsistent dialogs and power user experiences, which have been an area in dire need of attention for a number of years. For over a decade, Windows has suffered from inconsistent interfaces and lack of polish, which makes the platform feel dated and uncared for, and likely plays a huge role in Windows' reputation being so poor these days.

What hasn't helped in recent years is "Continuous Innovation," Microsoft's update delivery strategy that's designed to keep the OS fresh with new features and changes on a consistent, monthly basis. On paper, it sounds like a good idea, but in practice, updating Windows monthly with new features often causes more headaches than joy for a lot of people.

I think most users would prefer one big update at a predictable, certain time of the year, just like how Apple and Google do it. Windows has de-emphasized big updates, instead opting to deliver new features when they're ready, every month, forever. That means we no longer get big bang new releases, and users have become frustrated with the OS changing on a constant cycle.

This also opens Windows up to bugs and issues that crop up more often. It seems like new bugs are discovered every month because of Microsoft's continuous innovation strategy, which has seen features ship at a faster pace than ever before. In the past, new Windows features had a year or longer to bake in the oven before they began shipping. These days, it's sometimes just weeks between the first preview builds and the feature actually shipping.

The good news is Davuluri has confirmed that Microsoft is listening, and is aware of the backlash it's receiving over the company's obsession with AI in Windows 11. That doesn't mean the company is going to stop with adding AI to Windows, but it does mean we can also expect Microsoft to focus on the other things that matter too, such as stability and power user enhancements.

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