Accelerating the AI Platform Shift

We’re living through a moment of disruption, with generative AI transforming everything from shopping and education to climate science.  

AI is also reshaping how developers build the underlying software and systems that power these experiences, redefining what software looks like, how it’s built, and how it evolves.  

Chief Technology Officer Kevin Scott recently sat down for a Town Hall conversation at the Microsoft Bay Area Silicon Valley Campus with Executive Vice President Jay Parikh, who supports the newly formed engineering organization, CoreAI—Platform and Tools.  

CoreAI is developing a new AI-first app stack, aligning infrastructure, platforms, and tools to support this shift. By providing developers with the right tools and resources, Microsoft aims to unlock the full potential of AI and drive innovation across industries. 

Jay and Kevin discussed this pivotal moment in the history of software, as increasingly capable AI systems push the boundaries of what developers can create at a faster pace than previous technological shifts. 

With decades of investment in platforms, developer tools, and infrastructure, Microsoft is uniquely positioned to lead this transformation.

“By putting this all together in this vertically integrated approach, now the mission is very simple—it’s to empower every developer to shape the future with AI,” Jay said. 

Five key takeaways

As Microsoft helps drive what Kevin said may be the “most important tech platform shift that’s happened in our lifetime,” he and Jay shared career insights relevant to this new challenge. 

Here are five key takeaways from their fireside chat on the lessons along their AI journey and their relevance to this transformative era.

1. Speed and iteration are key

In the rapidly evolving tech landscape, keeping pace with innovation is essential to stay competitive. Jay encouraged everyone to challenge assumptions and find ways to remove obstacles to accelerate progress.  A culture of speed and agility is vital for driving innovation and achieving success.

2. Learn, adapt, and stay agile

In this age of agentic applications, developers should stay nimble in order to innovate effectively, Jay said. 

“Teams that stay on their toes will have the most success,” he said. “While you can’t foresee the future, you can prepare for multiple outcomes and quickly adjust, fix, and move forward in the case of a setback.”  

In any challenging assignment, teams may need to rearchitect a system or shift work to a different team that’s better suited to tackle a particular problem, Jay said. The key is to absorb lessons quickly, allowing teams to adapt and evolve, ensuring continuous improvement and resilience. 

3. Simplicity as a core principle

Jay and Kevin highlighted the need for simplicity in operations to drive scalability. As companies and organizations scale, the natural tendency is to create layers and processes that could potentially impede innovation.  When that happens, the result is that somebody will out-innovate you, Jay said. 

“Complexity is the enemy of scale,” Jay said. “Simplicity is a core part of how we’re going to drive the operations of this team.” 

4. Build connective tissue across teams

To accelerate in the age of rapid transformation, Jay emphasized the importance of breaking down silos within the organization and building connective tissue among cross-disciplinary teams.   

“As we’re building out the platform, infrastructure, and tools, wherever it makes sense to collaborate and combine forces, we’ll do so,” Jay said.  

The key is to bring together the right people, deep expertise, and diverse perspectives to build towards the new opportunities presented by technology and meet the customers’ needs.   

5. Measure outcomes for continued growth

Measuring outcomes will be a critical part of managing this transformation. “When you’re going fast, it’s really important to remember the build, the ship, and the measure,” said Kevin. “We will be deliberate about measuring outcomes and making sure that we’re measuring the right things so that we’re learning just as fast as we’re building.”

Jay concurred, adding it’s important to always keep these questions in mind: “What problem are you trying to solve and how are you measuring whether or not you’re being useful in solving that problem?” 

`The real magic of what AI can do’ 

Jay and Kevin both spoke with excitement about the possibilities unleashed by generative AI and urged developers in the audience to dream big.   

“Things that lots of people wanted for a very long time and that always seemed borderline science fictional and impossible are becoming possible right now,” Kevin said. “We really need you to bring the fullness of your imagination, the most ambitious things you can conceive of. We need to do it for everybody in the world and only then are we going to see the real magic of what AI can do solving some of these vexing problems that we have.”