By Paul Thurrott
Publication Date: 2026-06-08 19:38:00
I spent much of the previous weekend catching up on Build 2026 session videos, with an emphasis on those related in some way to Windows 11. In doing so, a few themes emerged, but one stood out above all others.
The sessions I watched fall into three general categories:
Windows app development. The smallest body of content, of course, but a topic Microsoft has only sporadically addressed in recent years. This was the strongest showing for Windows app development at Build in a long time.
Developer productivity. Microsoft has pushed Windows as the best place for developers for years, even if the work they’re doing is for the web, the cloud, or cross-platform. And while this has been a theme for a while now, Build 2026 was still notable for the long list of advances that Microsoft is making in this area.
Agentic AI. This was, by far, the biggest topic this year at Build, and that’s true even if you restrict the conversation just to Windows….