Microsoft Build bets: winners endure, some vanish

Big TechMay 27, 2026 at 08:30 AM

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Source: Future US

TLDR: SAN FRANCISCO—Microsoft Build has launched a tight lineup of developer focused products from Windows 8 and Cortana to GitHub Copilot agents, with uneven survival. The winners reshaped developer workflows while Cortana and HoloLens faded from the roadmap.

Key Takeaways:

Build began in 2011 to rally developers around Windows 8, then shifted to Azure, and now treats AI as the through line.
GitHub Copilot went from 400,000 subscribers in its first month to 1.3 million paid by early 2024, and added autonomous agent mode at Build 2025.
Not every bet lasts: Cortana was pulled from Windows search by 2019 and its standalone app shut down in August 2023, while HoloLens ended hardware development in early 2023.

Build is Microsoft learning in public, but the scoreboard is personal. When it nails developer pain points like terminal and serverless code, the tools stick, and when it misses, it quietly moves on.

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Build is Microsoft learning in public, but the scoreboard is personal. When it nails developer pain points like terminal and serverless code, the tools stick, and when it misses, it quietly moves on.

Q&A

Why did Windows Terminal survive the Build cycle when other quality of life launches got less traction?

It directly reduced daily friction for developers across multiple shells and stayed update friendly through the Microsoft Store, making it easy to adopt and hard to ignore.

What does WSL becoming open source change for Windows developers and Microsoft’s long term strategy?

It lowers trust barriers for Linux users, encourages community contributions, and helps Microsoft position Windows as a flexible platform rather than a walled garden.

How could Copilot agent mode alter security reviews in real teams?

Teams will likely demand tighter audit trails, clearer permission boundaries, and stronger branch protection so autonomous changes feel reviewable instead of magical.

Why did Copilot plus PCs generate demand faster than HoloLens ever did?

Copilot plus PCs deliver repeatable consumer value through on device AI tasks, while HoloLens depended on expensive hardware adoption and narrower enterprise use cases.

If Build themes now revolve around AI, what becomes the hardest product question at the next conference?

Whether AI features stay useful after the demo moment, meaning measurable developer productivity gains, clear privacy controls, and reliable performance on real systems.