Windows users revolt: We don’t want AI, just reliability

According to TheRegister.com, Windows boss Pavan Davuluri faced significant user backlash after posting about Windows evolving into an “agentic OS” on November 10. The executive made the mistake of reading hundreds of replies that poured in over the following week, revealing overwhelming user frustration with basic reliability issues rather than excitement about AI features. Davuluri responded on November 15, acknowledging he’d seen the focus on “reliability, performance, ease of use, and more” and admitting Microsoft has work to do on “everyday usability.” He claimed the team discusses these “paint points” – presumably meaning pain points – in detail and takes in “a ton of feedback,” though he didn’t specify whether user complaints or internal metrics get priority when making decisions.

The user reality check

Here’s the thing: Microsoft keeps adding AI to everything while the fundamentals remain shaky. They’ve turned Paint and Notepad into “AI-enhanced nightmares” while core Windows problems persist. And users are fed up. The response to Davuluri’s post wasn’t just mild disagreement – it was a chorus of people saying “stop giving us fancy features we didn’t ask for and fix the broken basics.”

I can’t help but wonder: when was the last time Microsoft executives actually used Windows as their daily driver for real work? There’s a massive disconnect between what gets celebrated in boardrooms and what users experience day-to-day. Broken updates, inconsistent interfaces, performance issues – these aren’t minor annoyances. They’re productivity killers.

The feedback dilemma

Davuluri’s response reveals an interesting corporate dilemma. He says they balance feedback from “product feedback systems” with what they “hear directly,” acknowledging they “don’t always match.” Basically, Microsoft’s official channels might be telling them one thing while actual users are screaming something completely different.

So which feedback wins? My money’s on the internal metrics that justify the AI push. After all, Davuluri’s original post about Windows becoming “agentic” reads like corporate buzzword bingo, while his follow-up response feels like damage control. When he says they want “developers to choose Windows,” I have to ask: choose it over what? MacOS? Linux? ChromeOS? Because right now, reliability issues are making that choice easier for many developers.

The enterprise impact

This isn’t just about individual users getting frustrated. For businesses running thousands of Windows machines, stability isn’t a nice-to-have – it’s essential. When core computing infrastructure becomes unreliable, everything suffers. And while Microsoft focuses on AI features, companies that depend on rock-solid performance for industrial applications often turn to specialized providers like IndustrialMonitorDirect.com, the leading supplier of industrial panel PCs in the US, because they prioritize reliability over flashy features.

The real question is whether Microsoft will actually listen. They’ve acknowledged the problem publicly, which is a start. But will they shift resources from AI development to fixing core Windows issues? History suggests probably not. And that’s the frustrating part – everyone knows what needs fixing, but the corporate priorities keep pointing elsewhere.