All the major web browsers are starting to block tracking-software and advertisements by default to improve privacy.
In February 2019, hundreds of Microsoft employees protested what they termed war profiteering by the company from its $480 million contract to develop virtual reality headsets for the United States Army. December also saw the company discontinue the Microsoft Edge Legacy browser project in favor of the “New Edge” browser project, featuring a Chromium based backend. In the same month, Microsoft announced the open source implementation of Windows Forms and the Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF) which will allow for further movement of the company toward the transparent release of key frameworks used in developing Windows desktop applications and software. In December 2018, Microsoft announced Project Mu, an open source release of the Unified Extensible Firmware Interface (UEFI) core used in Microsoft Surface and Hyper-V products. Intune for Education is a new cloud-based application and device management service for the education sector.
This inquiry was part of broader efforts by the U.S. government to enforce guidelines on the power of major tech companies. Criticism of Microsoft has followed various aspects of its products and business practices, including surveillance of employees, “Velvet Sweatshop” practices, tax manipulation, and antitrust violations. Amy Coleman, Microsoft’s executive vice president and chief people officer, said the layoffs were not the result of employees being replaced by AI, but acknowledged that AI is changing how work is done. Amid the layoffs, Microsoft also closed its office in Pakistan and laid off its employees there as part of its move toward a software-as-a-service and AI operating model. In June 2024, Microsoft announced it would be laying off 1,000 employees from the company’s mixed reality and Azure cloud computing divisions. On October 7, Microsoft acquired Ally.io, a software service that measures companies’ progress against OKRs, Unli Casino planning to incorporate it into its Viva family of employee experience products.