微软(又一次)失去魔力了吗?

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微软(又一次)失去魔力了吗?

内容来源:https://www.wired.com/story/has-microsoft-lost-its-mojo-again/

内容总结:

微软Build大会:AI雄心与乌云并存

本周,微软首席执行官萨提亚·纳德拉在年度Build开发者大会上高调展示新产品,并对人工智能前景表达了乐观预期。他的演讲核心聚焦于微软如何全力拥抱“智能体AI”。然而,这场在旧金山梅森堡举行的盛会并非一片晴空——我说的可不是Azure云服务。

当竞争对手的估值和股价飙升时,微软的股票今年却呈下跌态势。其面向职场的人工智能产品(和微软几乎所有新产品一样,被冠以“Copilot”之名)市场接受度不尽如人意。尽管微软在代码工具领域曾是早期领跑者,但Anthropic公司凭借其开创性的智能体编程方法后来居上。微软的反应是终止了自家的Claude Code许可证,强制其开发者转用Copilot。

与此同时,微软旗下至关重要的代码托管平台GitHub遭遇了前所未有的宕机风波,引发长期用户抱怨甚至流失。有Reddit帖子直言不讳:“GitHub变成垃圾堆了吗?”对微软而言,失去程序员社区的支持将是灾难性的。还记得前CEO史蒂夫·鲍尔默那句著名的总结吗?是什么让公司保持领先?开发者!开发者!开发者!

微软副总裁、GitHub技术团队成员斯科特·汉塞尔曼身处公司奋力追赶智能体潮流的中间地带。去年年底,他曾考虑在任职18年后离开公司去教高中科学。但11月,Claude Code和OpenClaw掀起的智能体编程革命让他重燃激情,并促成微软接纳了后者(一款开源工具)。在Build大会上,他出现在纳德拉的主题演讲中,演示了公司的“Copilot”如何自动化完成程序员、上班族等人的任务。

汉塞尔曼似乎是最合适的发言人,来解释微软正在发生什么。在生成式AI时代起步三年后,作为领跑者的微软是否已经魔力不再?

(以下为采访摘录,内容经编辑以求清晰简洁)

问: GitHub用户近期频繁抱怨宕机,已有人离开。发生了什么?

答: 还记得社交媒体被机器人淹没,或20年前电子邮件被垃圾邮件淹没吗?如今GitHub的访问流量和使用中,机器人和真人一样多。GitHub在努力扩展以满足需求,但机器人速度太快了。这只是暂时的小问题。

问: 你如何说服开发者这只是小问题,而非自满的信号?

答: 人们容易在它宕机时抱怨,却忘了它99%的时间是正常运行的。它正承受着机器人的巨大压力。

问: 微软在Build上最大的发布是关于智能体和通过一款名为Scout的产品采用OpenClaw。你促成了这件事,还邀请了OpenClaw的创始人参与其中。

答: 这就是开源人士交流时会发生的事。去年OpenClaw开启了一切。我做了个Windows小应用,纳德拉觉得很有意思,我就开始和相关人士沟通。微软考虑Windows上的智能体已经很久了,我只是觉得这是个好机会,为什么不做呢?

问: 你去年11月和所有人一样深入研究了编程智能体?

答: 那是书呆子的紧张时刻。假期里我花了很多时间和编程智能体交流。从那以后,感觉就像坐上了火箭飞船。

问: Claude Code似乎在这方面抢了风头,超过了Codex,坦率地说,也超过了Copilot。几年前微软的Copilot编程工具看起来还是领头羊,现在领先的是Claude Code。

答: 我谦逊地表示不同意。编程模型是其中一部分,但微软是开发者的好地方。Windows是一个基于开放硬件的开放平台,人们可以构建任何东西。

问: 微软希望Scout被办公人员和消费者采用。AI智能体会犯错和产生幻觉。用户能容忍多少错误?

答: 好问题。我不知道。信任但要核实。给它一个小任务,试一下,看它是否工作。然后,“哦,它没做错事。我给它一些只读权限。”比如,当我告诉别人我把我的血糖数据(我是1型糖尿病患者)给了OpenClaw权限时,第一反应是“你怎么敢把健康数据给智能体?”但对我来说,它能主动提醒我的血糖情况非常有用。我不觉得这有什么争议。

问: 我理解,但现在很多人对AI持怀疑或敌视态度。

答: 每当新工具出现,比如电锯、电动工具或内燃机,都会有一段混乱期,人们需要摸索如何让它对人类有益。我个人并非完全拥抱AI,我用自己的行动投票。我不使用AI图像生成和视频生成,因为我不相信那些东西。我用AI来编程,这让我感到愉悦。

问: 是的,程序员们绝对喜欢智能体,但在这个圈子之外存在阻力。微软的AI生产力工具表现不佳就说明了这一点。你预计智能体AI会面临类似阻力吗?

答: 他们要么喜欢,要么不喜欢。我记得随身听刚问世时,人们说“没人会把那东西戴在头上,那些耳机看起来很可笑”。现在我们都戴着白色的耳机走来走去。

问: 你不觉得微软处于追赶状态吗?

答: 我谦逊地反驳一下,指出每个人都处于追赶状态,因为你领先一阵子,然后又落后,来回拉锯。这就像拇指摔跤。我想提醒大家,“Copilot”这个词是微软首创的,这个词已经像“Kleenex”一样深入人心了。

问: 你认为今年的开发者大会让微软重回正轨了吗?

答: 几个Mac用户和我一起在后台,他们观看了新款Surface Laptop的发布,看到了所有新的开发者工具,然后不情不愿地看着我说:“该死,你们是打算让我买一台Surface了,是吧?”

问: 梅森堡的垃圾桶里现在全是被丢弃的MacBook Air了吗?

答: 那将是个神奇的结果,尽管我不想造成更多电子垃圾。

中文翻译:

本周,萨提亚·纳德拉在微软年度Build开发者大会上拉开序幕,照例炫耀了新产品,并对人工智能表达了乐观态度。他演讲的重点是微软如何对智能体人工智能狂热追捧。然而,旧金山梅森堡的这场大会上空笼罩着一片阴云,我指的不是Azure云服务。

尽管竞争对手的估值和股价飙升,微软的股票今年却一直在下跌。其工作场所AI产品——就像如今微软几乎所有产品一样,被称为Copilot——的采用率令人失望。而且,虽然微软曾是编码工具的早期领导者,但Anthropic凭借其开创性的智能体编码方法抢占了先机。微软的回应是终止其Claude Code许可证,迫使开发人员使用Copilot。

与此同时,不可多得的代码库GitHub(微软子公司)遭遇了前所未有的宕机,导致长期用户抱怨甚至流失。Reddit上有一个帖子直接问道:“GitHub是不是变成垃圾堆了?”对于微软来说,失去编码社区的支持将是一场灾难。还记得前CEO史蒂夫·鲍尔默那句著名的总结,什么让公司保持领先?开发者!开发者!开发者!

斯科特·汉塞尔曼是微软副总裁,也是GitHub的技术员工。他花了无数时间与开发者交流、培训工程师以及推广GitHub和AI。他也正处在微软为抓住智能体浪潮而迟来的努力中心。去年年底,他一度考虑离开工作了18年的公司,去高中教科学。但到了11月,由Claude Code和OpenClaw引发的智能体编码革命让他备受鼓舞。他帮助将后者(一个开源项目)引入微软。在Build大会上,他参与了纳德拉的主题演讲,展示了公司的“副驾驶”如何为程序员、工作者和其他任何人自动化任务。

汉塞尔曼似乎是解释微软现状的完美发言人。三年前以生成式AI时代领导者的姿态脱颖而出后,微软是否已经失去了魔力?(以下采访经过编辑,以确保清晰简洁。)

史蒂文·利维:GitHub用户最近一直在抱怨频繁的宕机。有些人已经离开了。这到底是怎么回事?

斯科特·汉塞尔曼:你还记得社交媒体被机器人淹没的时候吗?或者20年前电子邮件被垃圾邮件淹没的时候?GitHub的流入流量和使用量中,机器人和人类一样多。我认为GitHub在扩展能力以满足这种需求方面做得很好,但机器人的速度非常非常快。我认为这只是一个暂时的小问题。

你如何说服开发者这只是一个暂时的小问题,而不是自满的信号?

人们很容易在它宕机时抱怨,但忘记了它99%的时间都在正常运行。它只是承受着来自机器人的巨大压力。

微软在Build大会上最重要的宣布是关于智能体以及通过一款名为Scout的产品对OpenClaw的采用。你促成了这件事,甚至让OpenClaw的创始人彼得·施泰因贝格尔参与其中。

这只是开源人士交流时会发生的事情之一。去年,OpenClaw开启了一切。我做了一个小小的Windows应用程序,萨提亚觉得它令人兴奋,于是我开始和别人讨论。微软考虑在Windows上做智能体已经很长时间了,我只是想:“这对我们来说是个好机会,为什么不去做呢?”

你是去年十一月和所有人一起深入编码智能体这个领域的吗?

那段时间对极客们来说很紧张。那个假期我花了很多时间和编码智能体交流。从那以后,这简直就像坐上了火箭飞船。

Claude Code似乎在那里获得了主导地位,击败了Codex,坦白说,也击败了Copilot。几年前,微软的Copilot编码工具似乎领先于其他所有产品。现在却是Claude Code的天下。

我谨表示不同意。编码模型是其中的一部分,但微软对开发者来说是一个很棒的平台。Windows是一个基于开放硬件的开放平台,人们可以在上面构建任何东西。

微软希望Scout能被高效工作者甚至消费者采用。AI智能体会犯错并产生幻觉。人们能容忍多少错误?

这是个好问题。我不知道。信任但要验证。给它一个小任务,然后试一试,看看它是否有效。然后,“哦,它没做错任何事。我给它某些东西的只读访问权限。”例如,当我告诉别人我给了OpenClaw访问我血糖数据的权限(因为我是1型糖尿病患者)时,人们的本能反应是:“你怎么敢让智能体访问你的健康数据?”对我来说,能主动收到关于我血糖的通知非常有用。我不认为这是什么有争议的事情。

我理解,但现在有很多人对AI持怀疑或敌对态度。

当一种新工具被引入时,无论是链锯、电动工具还是内燃机,都会经历一段混乱时期,人们需要摸索如何让这个东西对人类有益。我个人并未全身心投入AI,因为我会用脚投票。我不使用AI图像生成,也不使用AI视频生成,因为我不相信这些东西。我用AI进行编码,并且觉得这是一种乐趣。

没错,程序员非常喜欢智能体,但在这个社区之外,存在抵制情绪。微软在其AI生产力工具表现不佳上已经看到了这一点。你预计智能体AI也会遇到类似的阻力吗?

他们要么会喜欢,要么不会。我记得随身听刚问世时,人们说:“没有人会把那些东西戴在头上。那些耳机看起来很可笑。”现在我们全都戴着白色的棉签状耳机走来走去。

你不觉得微软处于追赶模式吗?

我谨表示异议,并指出每个人都在追赶模式,因为你会领先,然后又会被赶超,来回拉锯。这就像一场拇指大战。我想提醒大家,“Copilot”这个词是微软最先使用的,这个词已经变得像“纸巾”一样家喻户晓。

你觉得今年的开发者大会让微软重回赛道了吗?

有几个Mac用户和我一起在后台,他们看到了新发布的Surface Laptop Ultra。他们看到了所有新的开发者工具,然后不情愿地看着我们说:“该死,你们这是要逼我买一台Surface,对吧?”

现在梅森堡的垃圾桶里是不是塞满了MacBook Air?

那将是一个惊人的结果,虽然我不想制造更多电子垃圾。

这是史蒂文·利维《反刍》通讯的一期。 此处可阅读过往通讯。

英文来源:

This week, Satya Nadella kicked off Microsoft’s annual Build developer’s conference with typical boasts about new products and a sunny view of AI. The focus of his speech was how Microsoft was going gaga for agentic AI. But there was a cloud over the gathering at San Francisco’s Fort Mason, and I’m not talking about Azure.
While the valuations and share prices of its competitors have soared, Microsoft’s stock has been down this year. Its workplace AI products, which like just about everything at Microsoft these days are called Copilot, have had disappointing uptake. And while the company was an early leader in coding tools, Anthropic has grabbed the lead with its groundbreaking agentic approach to coding. Microsoft responded by ending its Claude Code licenses to force its developers to use Copilot.
Meanwhile, GitHub, the invaluable code repository and Microsoft subsidiary, has had unprecedented downtimes that have led longtime fans to complain and even defect. One Reddit post said it outright: “Has GitHub become a dumpster fire?” For Microsoft, losing the hearts and minds of the coding community would amount to a catastrophe. Remember former CEO Steve Ballmer’s famous summary of what kept the company ahead? Developers! Developers! Developers!
Scott Hanselman is a Microsoft VP who is on the GitHub technical staff. He has spent countless hours talking to developers, training engineers, and evangelizing GitHub and AI. He’s also smack in the middle of Microsoft’s belated effort to seize the agentic moment. Late last year, he was considering leaving the company after 18 years to teach high school science. But in November, he became supercharged by the agentic coding revolution kicked off by Claude Code and OpenClaw. He helped bring the latter, which is open-source, into Microsoft. At the Build conference, he was part of Nadella’s keynote, demonstrating how the company’s “copilots” could automate tasks for coders, workers, and anyone else.
Hanselman seemed the perfect spokesperson to explain what’s happening at Microsoft. After busting out the gate three years ago as a leader in the generative AI era, has Microsoft lost its mojo? (This interview has been edited for clarity and concision.)
STEVEN LEVY: GitHub users have been complaining lately about frequent downtimes. Some have left. What’s going on there?
SCOTT HANSELMAN: You remember when social media got flooded by bots, or 20 years ago when email got flooded by spam? The incoming traffic to GitHub and the usage of GitHub is as many bots as people. GitHub, I think, is doing a great job of scaling to meet that need, but the bots are very, very fast. I think this is just a hiccup moment.
How are you convincing developers that this is just a hiccup and not a sign of complacency?
It’s easy to say it’s down at this moment, but people forget that it’s up 99 percent of the time. It’s just under tremendous pressure from the bots.
Microsoft’s biggest announcement at Build was about agents and its OpenClaw adoption, through a product called Scout. You helped make that happen and even brought OpenClaw founder Peter Steinberger into the process.
It's just one of those things that happens when open-source people talk. Last year, OpenClaw started everything. I made a little Windows app, Satya thought it was exciting, and I started talking to folks. Microsoft had been thinking about agents on Windows for a very long time, and I just thought, “This is a great opportunity for us, why not go for it?”
You went down the coding agent rabbit hole last November along with everyone else?
It was an intense time for the nerds. I spent a lot of time talking to coding agents during that holiday. And it’s been an absolute rocket ship of a ride since then.
Claude Code seems to have gotten the thunder there, beating Codex, and frankly, Copilot. A few years ago Microsoft’s Copilot coding tool seemed to stand at the head of the pack. Now it’s Claude Code.
I would respectfully disagree. Coding models are part of it, but Microsoft is a great place for developers. Windows is an open platform on open hardware where people can build anything.
Microsoft wants Scout to be adopted by productivity workers and even consumers. AI agents make mistakes and have hallucinations. How many errors will people tolerate?
That’s a good question. I don’t know. Trust but verify. Give it a small task, and then try it out, and see if it works. And then, “Oh it hasn’t done anything wrong. I’ll give it read-only access to something.” For example, when I tell somebody I gave OpenClaw access to my blood sugar, because I’m a type 1 diabetic, there’s the knee-jerk reaction, “How dare you give an agent access to your health data?” It is super useful for me to get proactive notifications about my blood sugar. I don’t think that’s a controversial thing.
I get that, but right now there are many people who are skeptical or hostile to AI.
When a new tool is introduced, whether it be a chainsaw, a power tool, or the internal combustion engine, there’s a chaotic time as people figure out how to make this thing good for humans. I am not personally all in on AI, because I vote with my feet. I don’t use AI image generation, and I don’t use AI video generation, because I don’t believe in those things. I use AI for coding, and I find it to be a joy.
Yes, coders absolutely love agents, but outside of that community, there’s resistance. Microsoft has seen this in the underperformance of its AI productivity tools. Are you anticipating similar headwinds with agentic AI?
They’ll either like it or they won’t. I remember when the Walkman came out and people said, “No one’s going to wear those things on their heads. Those headphones look ridiculous.” Now we all walk around with these white Q-tips hanging out of our ears.
You don’t feel that Microsoft is in catch-up mode?
I would respectfully push back and point out that everybody’s in catch-up mode, because you pull ahead and then you go back and forth. It’s a thumb war. I would remind folks that the term “Copilot” was something that Microsoft did first, and that term has become like Kleenex.
Do you feel that this year’s developer conference has put Microsoft back in the race?
A couple of Mac users were hanging out with me backstage, and they watched the Surface Laptop Ultra announced. They saw all the new developer tools, and they begrudgingly looked at us and said, “Dang it, you’re going to make me get a Surface, aren’t you?”
The trash cans at Fort Mason are full of MacBook Airs now?
That would be an amazing result, although I would hate to make more eco waste.
This is an edition of Steven Levy’s Backchannel newsletter. Read previous newsletters here.

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