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Windows Central
Windows Central
Technology
Sean Endicott

Microsoft celebrated its 50th anniversary, faced a protester accusing it of aiding genocide, and announced the next evolution of Copilot — all within one hour

Microsoft event.

Microsoft just wrapped up quite the week. The tech giant celebrated its 50th anniversary by announcing a slew of new Copilot features. During that event, we saw some of the biggest names in Microsoft history.

A Minecraft Movie also hit cinemas recently. While the film received mixed reviews, it broke box office records for a movie based on a video game.

Microsoft 50th Anniversary Copilot Event

Microsoft celebrated its 50th anniversary with a Copilot event. (Image credit: Windows Central)

When you've been around for 50 years as a tech giant, there's a lot to celebrate. Microsoft marked the occasion with a major event.

Microsoft founder Bill Gates, former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer, and current Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella were all on stage. Phil Spencer, the Microsoft CEO of Gaming was also there, and he was sporting a stylish Minecraft jacket.

In addition to being a celebration of five decades of operation, Microsoft's event served as a platform for several Copilot announcements. The AI tool now supports memory and will be able to interact with apps.

Copilot is also gaining support for Actions, such as making dinner reservations. Multiple shopping features are also on the way to Copilot.

You can relive the Microsoft 50th Anniversary Copilot Event through our live blog, which is now a handy timeline of all the announcements.

Protester accuses Microsoft of powering genocide

Near the beginning of Microsoft's 50th Anniversary Copilot Event, a protester interrupted Microsoft Copilot CEO Mustafa Suleyman. It has since been confirmed that the protester was Ibtihal Aboussad, a Microsoft employee.

Aboussad accused Microsoft of being a "war profiteer" and "using AI for genocide." Aboussad's claims centered around accusations of selling services to the Israeli military.

I covered the incident as it happened and added as many details as I could find following the event. Aboussad sent an email to hundreds, or possibly thousands, of Microsoft employees after the protest.

A Minecraft Movie

A Minecraft Movie set the opening weekend box office record for movies that are adaptations of a video game. (Image credit: Warner Bros. Pictures)

A Minecraft Movie premiered in cinemas last week. Though critics gave the film poor scores, audiences rated it more favorably, and it still managed to break box office records for its category.

Despite harsh critiques of A Minecraft Movie, the film broke box office records for its category. It had the best opening weekend ever for a movie based on a video game.

Xbox handheld tease

Following our exclusive reporting of an Xbox handheld codenamed "Project Kennan," people have wondered what the device would look like. We now have a bit of an idea thanks to a tease by ASUS and a meme from Microsoft.

The video doesn't actually show what the device will look like physically, but we can now make a more educated guess.

The clip from ASUS shows an ROG Ally and an Xbox controller going inside a container, presumably to merge together.

The Xbox account on X responded to that video with the side-eye monkey puppet meme, showing team Xbox is in on the reference.

Windows Central Podcast

Each week our experts host the Windows Central Podcast to discuss the biggest topics in tech. This week, our Senior Editor Zac Bowden was joined by our Senior Editor Ben Wilson to celebrate Microsoft's 50th anniversary.

Reviews

Razer's Rogue line of semi-premium gaming backpacks earned high marks from our expert. (Image credit: Windows Central | Zachary Boddy)

Our experts go hands-on with the latest gadgets and games each week. Recently, our team looked at a pair of gaming earbuds, the new Razer Blade 16, and a line of backpacks from Razer.

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