Microsoft Forms New Group to Focus on AI Apps and Tools
Microsoft is creating a new group focused on developing AI applications and providing tools for third-party customers, the company announced Monday. The new group, called Core AI – Platform and Tools, will be led by Jay Parikh, former CEO of cybersecurity startup Lacework and former global head of engineering at Meta.
According to Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, the mission of the new group is to “build the end-to-end Copilot & AI stack for both our first-party and third-party customers to build and run AI apps and agents.” The group will work closely with other top tech leaders at the company, including Scott Guthrie, Kevin Scott, and Mustafa Suleyman, who leads Copilot AI initiatives.
The announcement comes 10 months after Microsoft hired DeepMind co-founder Mustafa Suleyman to lead Copilot AI initiatives. Parikh joined Microsoft in October as an executive vice president, reporting directly to Nadella.
Artificial intelligence has become a major theme in the tech industry since OpenAI’s launch of ChatGPT in late 2022, and Microsoft, as the principal investor in OpenAI, has been at the center of the boom. Microsoft is developing products and tools that compete with some OpenAI services, and Nadella has discussed the “cooperation tension” between the two companies.
The new group will bring together people working on developer and AI platforms, as well as teams from the Office of the CTO. Nadella emphasized the importance of having the best AI platform, tools, and infrastructure to drive success in this next phase.
Parikh joined Microsoft from Lacework, which had been a rapid-growing and high-profile startup before being acquired by Fortinet for $149 million.
