By Tom Warren
Publication Date: 2025-11-20 17:00:00
It feels like Microsoft is blindly racing toward another Windows 8 situation. Windows 8 was arguably the most divisive release of Windows in its 40-year history, as Microsoft attempted to overhaul the operating system for a touch-first future. Spooked by the iPad, the company shipped a radical overhaul that ditched the familiar Start menu and left users frustrated and confused. They weren’t quite ready for the future that Microsoft envisioned.
As I look at Windows 11 today, on the 40th anniversary of the operating system’s release, its ongoing AI overhaul is starting to feel similar to that controversial redesign.
Microsoft detailed its vision for Windows to become an “agentic OS” at its Ignite conference this week. The software maker is building AI capabilities directly into Windows to allow agents to control your PC for you, all while it continues to infuse AI features and Copilot buttons into all corners of the OS.
For some Windows users, it’s already all too much.
Windows…
