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A Microsoft software engineer who became an EMT in 2024 published a ranked list of 21 reasons he had delayed pursuing the certification for years. He cites concerns including the time commitment of a 28-day accelerated NOLS Wilderness EMT course, fears about fraternity-like culture in EMS, and worries about fitting in with younger or less tech-oriented classmates and coworkers.
Google Docs offers dark mode on its mobile app but not on the web version, leaving a gap between platforms despite frequent feature updates including Gemini-powered AI tools. Users seeking a dark interface on desktop must rely on workarounds rather than a built-in setting.
The European Commission rolled out a European-built video conferencing tool meant to serve as a sovereign alternative to Microsoft Teams, reducing reliance on US software. According to a report, internal staff reactions have been harshly negative, with one employee reportedly calling the tool 'absolute sh*t'.
The University of Washington has moved its Global Innovation Exchange (GIX) institute, which offers a Master's in Technology Innovation, into a 48,500-square-foot space inside Microsoft's Building 92 under a rent-free lease. Microsoft contributed a $42 million in-kind donation to build out the space, marking the first time a UW program has established full-time operations on Microsoft's campus. GIX previously operated in Bellevue's Steve Ballmer Building after launching in 2015 with Tsinghua University and roughly $70 million in Microsoft backing.
The European Commission has deployed Element Pro, a self-hosted messaging tool from UK firm Element, as a sovereign alternative to Microsoft Teams. Politico reported that internal staff messages described the software harshly, with officials calling it confusing and of little value, and one saying the U.S. would win instantly if it cut off its tech given how Teams compares. Element CEO Matthew Hodgson acknowledged early 'teething issues' and said switching tools always causes friction.
A new book recounts how Lean, a program originally developed to catch bugs in Microsoft's software, was repurposed by mathematicians to formally verify proofs. The review describes its journey from an internal engineering tool to a system now used to check mathematical arguments with machine-level rigor.
Symantec and Carbon Black researchers say the China-linked Warlock group, also tracked as Longlegs, has compromised a water utility, a telecom provider, a regional government body and a university by exploiting on-premises SharePoint vulnerabilities, including the ToolShell exploit chain. In one July 22 intrusion, the attacker disabled security software on roughly 40 hosts within two hours and deployed Warlock ransomware to at least 33 machines, using a signed but vulnerable driver to kill endpoint defenses.
Microsoft announced it will redesign some data centers to blend into surrounding landscapes using what it calls 'biomimicry,' aiming to make the facilities visually and ecologically less disruptive to nearby communities. The move comes as residents in places like San Antonio increasingly object to the traffic, noise, lighting and loss of green space caused by rapidly multiplying hyperscale data centers.
Google has made generally available a feature allowing Android-based Google Meet room hardware to join Microsoft Teams calls, and Android-based Microsoft Teams Rooms to join Google Meet meetings. The rollout began October 1 and is reaching eligible Google Workspace customers within one to three days. The feature applies only to dedicated meeting-room devices running Android/AOSP, not to the Meet or Teams apps on phones or tablets.
Attackers gained unauthorized access to Microsoft's 13-million-follower X account, using it to follow and repost content from an account impersonating Clippy that promoted a $Clippy cryptocurrency token. Microsoft removed the posts, confirmed the breach, and stated it has no affiliation with any crypto token tied to its brand, Clippy, or $MSFT stock, saying it would pursue legal action.
Jim Cramer said on CNBC's Mad Money that enterprise software stocks staged a sharp recovery in the third quarter while chip stocks pulled back after earlier gains. The iShares Expanded Tech-Software Sector ETF rose 17% in the quarter versus an 11% drop for the iShares Semiconductor ETF, with Salesforce up 46%, Microsoft up 37%, Workday up 55%, Veeva up 60% and CrowdStrike up 39%, while Corning fell nearly 40%.
Ryan Roslansky, who led LinkedIn before taking over Office and later Microsoft Teams, is leaving the company after nearly 18 years. Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella confirmed the departure in an internal memo, praising Roslansky's work consolidating product, engineering and design teams. Microsoft is folding Office and Teams into its Copilot, Agents, and Platform organization under Charles Lamanna, with design chief Jon Friedman now reporting to Copilot lead Jacob Andreou, while Dan Shapero remains LinkedIn CEO reporting to Nadella.