Microsoft CEO says thirty years of progress have been condensed into three
When the rate of change is so fast businesses and individuals have problems getting their heads around the changes and adapting, causing a rise in anxiety and business failures.
Key takeaways
- In an internal memo to employees, Nadella explained that changes that would normally take decades are now happening in just a few years.
- Former Meta executive Jay Parikh will lead CoreAI after spending more than eleven years as Meta's Vice President and Global Head of Engineering.
- CoreAI will continue to work on GitHub Copilot, using lessons learned from this AI coding tool to improve the broader AI platform.
Cite or link to this article
Griffin, M. (2025) 'Microsoft CEO says thirty years of progress have been condensed into three', 311 Institute, 19 February. Available at: https://www.311institute.com/microsoft-ceo-says-thirty-years-of-progress-have-been-condensed-into-three/ (Accessed: 1 October 2026).
Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella announced the formation of a new division called "CoreAI, Platform and Tools" at at the tech giant in response to what he sees as rapidly accelerating Artificial Intelligence (AI) development.
In an internal memo to employees, Nadella explained that changes that would normally take decades are now happening in just a few years.
"Thirty years of change is being compressed into three years!" Nadella wrote.
Think, Feel, Act, Disrupt, by Innovation Keynote Matthew Griffin
The new CoreAI department will unite Microsoft's AI efforts across the company, combining the Copilot platform, AI agents, and developer tools. Microsoft is merging several teams to achieve this goal, including its development division, AI platform group, and core teams from the CTO's office.
Former Meta executive Jay Parikh will lead CoreAI after spending more than eleven years as Meta's Vice President and Global Head of Engineering. His primary task is to create what he calls an "End-to-End AI stack" for applications driven, and even created, by AI agents, though some in the AI industry debate the role of these agents.
Nadella believes that software development is about to change fundamentally. He expects new user interfaces and AI agents to build and run applications very differently from the way we do today. These systems will adapt their capabilities based on specific roles, business processes, and industries, potentially outperforming current software in both performance and security.
Microsoft will use its Azure cloud computing platform as the foundation for this AI infrastructure, which will see hundreds of billions of dollars worth of investment in the coming years, supporting tools like Azure AI Foundry, GitHub, and VS Code. AI agents will also be used to develop and maintain AI application code. CoreAI will continue to work on GitHub Copilot, using lessons learned from this AI coding tool to improve the broader AI platform.
The company calls this approach "Service as Software," allowing software to develop custom applications or AI agents that can change SaaS applications on their own. According to Nadella, success in this new phase will depend on having better AI platforms, tools, and infrastructure.
What this means for your organisation
Change is compressing.
Shifts that once took decades now happen in a few years. Plans built on slower change will age fast. Leaders should shorten planning cycles for technology.
Agents will build applications.
AI agents are expected to build, run and maintain application code. Software could adapt to each role, process and industry. Prepare teams to direct and review agent work.
Service as software.
Microsoft describes software that builds custom applications and changes SaaS tools on its own. Traditional licence models may weaken. Review how you buy and sell software.
Three questions for your next leadership meeting
- Are our technology plans built for change this fast?
- How ready are our teams to direct AI agents that write code?
- How would agent-built software change what we buy from vendors?
The trends and technologies behind this story
From the 311 Starburst, the 311 Strategic Intelligence Unit’s map of the technologies and trends shaping the next 50 years.
Analysis by the 311 Strategic Intelligence Unit, from Matthew Griffin’s article and 311 data. First published on Fanatical Futurist.
FAQ
Why does this matter?
When the rate of change is so fast businesses and individuals have problems getting their heads around the changes and adapting, causing a rise in anxiety and business failures.
About the author
Matthew Griffin Founder, President and Futurist, 311 Institute
Matthew Griffin is a multi-award winning Futurist and expert in Disruption and Innovation, Geopolitics, Leadership, and Technology, who NASA have described as a "walking encyclopaedia of the future" and a "futurist Polymath."
Read full bio
Matthew Griffin is a multi-award winning Futurist and expert in Disruption and Innovation, Geopolitics, Leadership, and Technology, who NASA have described as a "walking encyclopaedia of the future" and a "futurist Polymath." 17-time best selling author of the "Codex of the Future" series, Matthew is the Founder, President and Futurist of the 311 Institute, a global Futures and Deep Futures advisory firm working with royal households, world leaders, G7, G20, and G77 governments, NGOs, and multi-national mid and mega cap firms to help them explore, shape, and lead the next 50 years of business and society.
An award-winning YouTube creator with over a million followers, with an unrivalled global reach and impact, Matthew is a highly sought-after international keynote speaker, lecturer, and mentor who collaborates with global leaders through the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC) and United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) to shape pivotal initiatives such as the UN’s AI for Humanity programme, the United Nations Conference of the Parties (UN COP), and the World Economic Forum in Davos.
As the former Global Head of Cloud, National Security, and Enterprise Sales for companies including Atos, Dell-EMC, and IBM, Matthew has a proven track record of building multi-billion dollar business units and turning failing divisions into market leaders. His ability to identify, analyse, and communicate the implications of hundreds of emerging technologies and trends is unparalleled, and his insights are trusted by many of the world’s most respected organisations, including ABB, Accenture, Adidas, AON, ARM, BCG, Centrica, Citi, Coca-Cola, Dentons, Deloitte, Dow Jones, EY, Google, KPMG, Lego, Legal & General, LinkedIn, Microsoft, PepsiCo, Qualcomm, RWE, Samsung, Siemens AG and Siemens Energy, T-Mobile, UBS, VISA, Walmart, Workday, Worldpay and many others.
Regularly featured in the global media including the AP, BBC, Bloomberg, CNBC, Discovery, Forbes, Khaleej Times, Telegraph, TIME, ViacomCBS, WIRED, and the WSJ, Matthews mission is to help organisations create a fair and sustainable future whose benefits are shared by everyone irrespective of their ability, background, or circumstances.
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Sources and further reading
- Introducing core ai platform and tools blogs.microsoft.com
Source: first published by the 311 Institute on 19 February 2025. Cite as: Griffin, M. (2025). Microsoft CEO says thirty years of progress have been condensed into three. 311 Institute. https://www.311institute.com/microsoft-ceo-says-thirty-years-of-progress-have-been-condensed-into-three/
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