Windows Weekly 958: "Personal Turkey" (November 12, 2025)

Hosts: Leo Laporte, Paul Thurrott, Richard Campbell
Duration: ~2h 30m
Episode Focus: Patch Tuesday's new Start menu/UI changes for Windows 11, Microsoft's transparency issues with OpenAI, .NET Conf 2025 highlights, the surprise Steam game console, and broader industry/AI fatigue.

Episode Overview

This fun and informative episode sees Leo, Paul, and Richard tackle the latest Windows 11 updates from November's Patch Tuesday, debate Microsoft's secretive OpenAI involvement (with some Wall Street Journal heat), dig into .NET Conf dev news, preview Microsoft Ignite, and react to the surprise announcement of Valve's new Steam game "Gabe Cube" console.

Lighthearted moments abound, with digressions into New Zealand dairy farm life, rugby, Lord of the Rings nerdery, and Thanksgiving turkey tips. However, the core focus stays on major Windows, Microsoft, and developer news—with emphasis on practical implications for users and IT.

Key Discussion Points

1. Patch Tuesday/Windows 11 November Update

Major Start Menu Redesign:
- New UI: Adds a third "All Apps" section with a category-style view inspired by Apple's App Library.
- Collapsible panels, new scaling for big/wide screens, and a more prominent apps listing.
- Paul on the update:
  
  "This is the biggest UI change to Windows 11 in a long time." (05:12)
- Layout/Customization: No more classic layout options. Still allow tweaking of recommendations, app/documents showing.
Other Features & Changes:
- Battery icon: Color changes (green=charging, yellow=saver, red=low), percent display now possible.
- Admin Account Protection: New, aggressive Windows Hello experience for admin elevation. "Very disruptive," Paul notes—reminiscent of early UAC.
  
  "It's very disruptive. Maybe that will get better over time." (08:47)
- Copilot+ PC Owners: Receive additional File Explorer, voice access, and improved semantic search features.
- Context Menus: Moving from "long list" to submenus, Windows 95-style. Discussed with nostalgia and slight dread.
- Click-to-Do Additions: Inline translation, unit conversion—useful but sometimes feel like "nice to have" features.
  
  "I always think, this is fine...I will never use any of this stuff." (11:41)

Full Patch Tuesday discussion: [05:08]–[12:16]

2. Microsoft Ignite, AI Fatigue & Transparency

Ignite Conference:
- Not sold out. Move to San Francisco "says a lot" about waning interest.
- Consensus: In-person is great for meeting product teams, but overall energy/focus at Microsoft down post-pandemic.
- Speculation that AI overload may be deterring admins, “AI fatigue” is settling in—seen in other tech shows too.
  
  "People are pretty burned out." (16:37 – Richard) "It's too much too fast, and then too disappointing." (16:47 – Paul)
AI Section Slimmer than Usual:
- Only one AI story this week—possibly a sign of both fatigue and maturing coverage.
Microsoft & OpenAI Transparency Controversy:
- Wall Street Journal (particularly John Wheel) critiques Microsoft for not disclosing material OpenAI dealings.
- Internal OpenAI docs predict enormous future operational losses:
  
  “[OpenAI] expects to be losing $74 billion a year by 2028.” (41:26, Paul)
- Openly asked if this is another tech bubble:
  
  "We know this is a bubble and it's ending. Why are you still pretending it's not?" (16:51, Richard) "The bubble's not going to be around in 2028. Clearly the jig's going to be up before those projections become real." (41:35, Richard)

3. .NET Conf 2025 / Developer News

.NET 10 & Visual Studio 2026:
- Visual Studio: Now more performant, runs work off main UI thread, new fluent UI, color themes.
- Faster, monthly updates (like VS Code), performance "always double digit" improvements.
  
  "They've done something really good here." (62:41, Paul)
- Visual Studio update frequency discussed: now monthly—echoes how modern dev tools increasingly resemble browsers.
Uno Platform & App Modernization via AI:
- Uno Platform demo uses generative AI to port Paul’s app to all platforms in 3 minutes—"makes my whole life a waste of time!" (66:13, Paul)
- Hot design & hot reload: change visual and code live while running, not available in MS tools.
- Importance of visual designers, the evolution (and FAILURES) since classic Visual Basic.
- WPF’s legacy as “technology handed down by aliens”—modern alternatives (Avalonia, Uno) try to recapture that.
Folklore: Early Mac’s calculator app, GUI origins, and the age-old quest for pixel-perfect, “what you see is what you get,” adaptable UI tools. (70:05–73:05)

4. Windows Next Versions & Insider Channels

26H1 Insider Build for Canary:
- Next major Windows version (26H1) seeded to Canary, likely to ship with Snapdragon X2 copilot+ devices.
- Unclear why features hit Canary channel before Dev; no new features apparent yet.
Tiny11 & The "Decrappification" of Windows:
- Paul uses "Tiny11 Builder" scripts to make a truly minimalist install—no Edge, OneDrive, nags, or forced apps.
  
  "If your goal is like, 'I don't want this thing nagging me...sending telemetry...launching Edge'...this stuff is out there." (123:29 – Paul tips section)

5. Industry News: Qualcomm, Valve, Sony, & Gaming

Qualcomm Earnings:
- $11.3B revenue, one-time $5.7B write down; trying to show they’re healthy without Apple.
  
  "At some point, Apple’s gonna drop them like the bad habit that Apple believes they are." (27:54, Paul)
Valve's New Steam Console ("Gabe Cube"):
- Announced just before the show; cube-shaped, AMD chip, much faster than Steam Deck.
- Runs SteamOS (Linux-based), can also install Windows. Focus is bringing console-like gaming to Linux, shaking up the market with an open, DIY spirit.
  
  "It’s everything Microsoft can’t do: make new hardware and get people excited." (84:38, Paul) "Who's got a better collection of emails of gamers than Steam?" (87:48, Richard)
- Can run other operating systems, including Windows.
- Panel muses whether this is a precursor to Valve "dumping Windows" (answer: no), but sees big push toward platform abstraction.
Xbox & Halo News:
- Halo: switching to Unreal Engine for future titles to ease dev, attract talent.
- Fallout 4: New "Anniversary Edition," PC/Xbox cross-play and entitlement.
- Grand Theft Auto VI: further delayed until next November; compared to infamous delays (e.g., Duke Nukem Forever).
Sony Earnings:
- PlayStation 5: 84 million units sold, 72% of games sold are digital, 120M PSN monthly actives.
- New 27" PlayStation gaming monitor with controller hook (but only 1440p).
- Comparison of PlayStation's consistent hardware success—and a dig at Apple’s $300 "iPhone sock."

6. AI, AGI, and Microsoft’s Strategy

Paul's Take on AI Industry Direction:
- Mustafa Suleyman (Microsoft AI lead, ex-Google DeepMind) is a rare, sincere figure—says AGI (artificial general intelligence) is a "misnomer" and proposes "Humanist Superintelligence," i.e., advanced AI as tools, not replacements:
  
  "AI should always be a helper for humans. It should advance our goals...and requires constant vigilance." (49:14, Paul summarizing Suleyman)
- General skepticism about "AGI" as a near-term reality (panel agrees it’s more useful as a marketing term).
- Adoption of multiple "smaller" models (orchestration rather than monolithic large models) is increasingly seen as the practical future.

7. Fun Tangents, Storytelling, and Culture

Farm Reports: Richard broadcasts from a New Zealand dairy farm—complete with AI-powered cow collars, tales of stormy weather, and artificial insemination (TMI warning).
Lord of the Rings Fandom:
- Paul: "I'm a Tolkien scholar. It's actually the thing I know the most about." (52:51)
Thanksgiving Turkey Tips:
- Multiple turkeys, brining, classic sides; dry brine method (Kenji Alt Lopez) discussed.
- "I think everyone should have a personal turkey." (145:03, Leo)
Hunting: Richard’s 90-year-old aunt, the dead-shot deer and boar hunter, gets shout-outs.

Notable Quotes & Timestamps

On the new Start menu (Paul):

"This is the biggest UI change to Windows 11 in a long time." (05:12)
On Patch Tuesday Admin Protection:

"It's very disruptive. Maybe that will get better over time." (08:47)
On AI Fatigue (Richard):

"People are pretty burned out." (16:37)
"We know this is a bubble and it's ending. Why are you still pretending it's not?" (16:51)
On Microsoft’s OpenAI Opacity (Paul):

“OpenAI expects to be losing $74 billion a year by 2028.” (41:26)
On Valve's new console ("Gabe Cube") (Richard):

"Anything that drives more business into Steam itself, right?" (86:02)
On Halo Infinite’s reveal:

"I will never forget my reaction ... they must be doing a Wizard of Oz thing... and it never did." (100:28, Paul)
On the evolution of dev tools:

"...You had Visual Basic back in the day...the last one was kind of like a pixel perfect designer. The problem is ... once you can have arbitrary screen resolutions, DPI, whatever... you can't do a pixel visual editor anymore." (71:07–72:28, Paul)
On Thanksgiving:

"I think everyone should have a personal turkey." (145:03, Leo)

Timestamps for Important Segments

[05:08] Patch Tuesday explained—Start Menu, battery icon, admin protection
[12:16] Dev team burnout, Ignite, "AI fatigue"
[19:53] Microsoft's Secure Future Initiative, passkeys, Surface firmware
[22:41] .NET Conf news, Visual Studio updates, Uno Platform & AI-powered app migration
[24:46] Windows 26H1, Insider/Canary/Dev channel weirdness
[27:08] Qualcomm/Apple revenue, industry business model shifts
[41:26] OpenAI's forecasted $74 billion loss, bubble talk
[49:14] Paul on AI, Suleyman, "Humanist superintelligence"
[66:13] Uno Platform’s AI demo “makes my whole life a waste of time”
[84:38] Valve's new Steam "Gabe Cube" console reaction
[100:28] Halo Infinite reveal reaction and gaming delays
[123:29] Paul’s "Tiny11 Builder" tip for minimalist Windows

Recommendations, Picks & Extras

Tip of the Week / App Recommendation:
- Try Tiny11 Builder (PowerShell script): Install Windows 11 free from bloat, Edge, telemetry, etc.
- Paul’s evolving advice: Gradate decrapification—how clean you want your install to be.
RunAs Radio Pick (Richard):
- Episode 1010 w/ Chris Ayers—Azure reliability: how to balance cost, redundancy, and outage risk.
- Links to Azure Well-Architected Framework.
Whiskey Pick:
- Kyoto Whiskey, Kura Obi (Black Belt). Beautiful bottle, but a "deceptive" Japanese whiskey that blends foreign and domestic spirits. Pricey, mostly for the look; lacks authentic Japanese whiskey pedigree.
- "I prefer my customers to be informed when there's a bad actor in this business..." (141:20, Richard)

Next Week:

Richard will connect from Australia.
Paul will share more Thanksgiving (including "personal turkey") tips.
Continued Ignite/Microsoft event reactions.

Conclusion

"Personal Turkey" is a packed episode balancing deep technical updates, lighthearted farm-to-desktop banter, and sharp industry insight. For anyone wanting a thorough, opinionated, and practical rundown of Microsoft's world—complete with industry gossip, developer tips, and even game console news—look no further.

Recommended for:
Windows/admin pros, IT decision makers, seasoned devs, and anyone wanting to track Microsoft’s moves with a touch of humor and humanity.

Listen on Windows Weekly or your favorite podcast app.
Join Club TWiT for ad-free episodes and bonus content.

Windows Weekly 958: "Personal Turkey" (November 12, 2025)

Episode Overview

Key Discussion Points

1. Patch Tuesday/Windows 11 November Update

Major Start Menu Redesign:
- New UI: Adds a third "All Apps" section with a category-style view inspired by Apple's App Library.
- Collapsible panels, new scaling for big/wide screens, and a more prominent apps listing.
- Paul on the update:
  
  "This is the biggest UI change to Windows 11 in a long time." (05:12)
- Layout/Customization: No more classic layout options. Still allow tweaking of recommendations, app/documents showing.
Other Features & Changes:
- Battery icon: Color changes (green=charging, yellow=saver, red=low), percent display now possible.
- Admin Account Protection: New, aggressive Windows Hello experience for admin elevation. "Very disruptive," Paul notes—reminiscent of early UAC.
  
  "It's very disruptive. Maybe that will get better over time." (08:47)
- Copilot+ PC Owners: Receive additional File Explorer, voice access, and improved semantic search features.
- Context Menus: Moving from "long list" to submenus, Windows 95-style. Discussed with nostalgia and slight dread.
- Click-to-Do Additions: Inline translation, unit conversion—useful but sometimes feel like "nice to have" features.
  
  "I always think, this is fine...I will never use any of this stuff." (11:41)

Full Patch Tuesday discussion: [05:08]–[12:16]

2. Microsoft Ignite, AI Fatigue & Transparency

Ignite Conference:
- Not sold out. Move to San Francisco "says a lot" about waning interest.
- Consensus: In-person is great for meeting product teams, but overall energy/focus at Microsoft down post-pandemic.
- Speculation that AI overload may be deterring admins, “AI fatigue” is settling in—seen in other tech shows too.
  
  "People are pretty burned out." (16:37 – Richard) "It's too much too fast, and then too disappointing." (16:47 – Paul)
AI Section Slimmer than Usual:
- Only one AI story this week—possibly a sign of both fatigue and maturing coverage.
Microsoft & OpenAI Transparency Controversy:
- Wall Street Journal (particularly John Wheel) critiques Microsoft for not disclosing material OpenAI dealings.
- Internal OpenAI docs predict enormous future operational losses:
  
  “[OpenAI] expects to be losing $74 billion a year by 2028.” (41:26, Paul)
- Openly asked if this is another tech bubble:
  
  "We know this is a bubble and it's ending. Why are you still pretending it's not?" (16:51, Richard) "The bubble's not going to be around in 2028. Clearly the jig's going to be up before those projections become real." (41:35, Richard)

3. .NET Conf 2025 / Developer News

.NET 10 & Visual Studio 2026:
- Visual Studio: Now more performant, runs work off main UI thread, new fluent UI, color themes.
- Faster, monthly updates (like VS Code), performance "always double digit" improvements.
  
  "They've done something really good here." (62:41, Paul)
- Visual Studio update frequency discussed: now monthly—echoes how modern dev tools increasingly resemble browsers.
Uno Platform & App Modernization via AI:
- Uno Platform demo uses generative AI to port Paul’s app to all platforms in 3 minutes—"makes my whole life a waste of time!" (66:13, Paul)
- Hot design & hot reload: change visual and code live while running, not available in MS tools.
- Importance of visual designers, the evolution (and FAILURES) since classic Visual Basic.
- WPF’s legacy as “technology handed down by aliens”—modern alternatives (Avalonia, Uno) try to recapture that.
Folklore: Early Mac’s calculator app, GUI origins, and the age-old quest for pixel-perfect, “what you see is what you get,” adaptable UI tools. (70:05–73:05)

4. Windows Next Versions & Insider Channels

26H1 Insider Build for Canary:
- Next major Windows version (26H1) seeded to Canary, likely to ship with Snapdragon X2 copilot+ devices.
- Unclear why features hit Canary channel before Dev; no new features apparent yet.
Tiny11 & The "Decrappification" of Windows:
- Paul uses "Tiny11 Builder" scripts to make a truly minimalist install—no Edge, OneDrive, nags, or forced apps.
  
  "If your goal is like, 'I don't want this thing nagging me...sending telemetry...launching Edge'...this stuff is out there." (123:29 – Paul tips section)

5. Industry News: Qualcomm, Valve, Sony, & Gaming

Qualcomm Earnings:
- $11.3B revenue, one-time $5.7B write down; trying to show they’re healthy without Apple.
  
  "At some point, Apple’s gonna drop them like the bad habit that Apple believes they are." (27:54, Paul)
Valve's New Steam Console ("Gabe Cube"):
- Announced just before the show; cube-shaped, AMD chip, much faster than Steam Deck.
- Runs SteamOS (Linux-based), can also install Windows. Focus is bringing console-like gaming to Linux, shaking up the market with an open, DIY spirit.
  
  "It’s everything Microsoft can’t do: make new hardware and get people excited." (84:38, Paul) "Who's got a better collection of emails of gamers than Steam?" (87:48, Richard)
- Can run other operating systems, including Windows.
- Panel muses whether this is a precursor to Valve "dumping Windows" (answer: no), but sees big push toward platform abstraction.
Xbox & Halo News:
- Halo: switching to Unreal Engine for future titles to ease dev, attract talent.
- Fallout 4: New "Anniversary Edition," PC/Xbox cross-play and entitlement.
- Grand Theft Auto VI: further delayed until next November; compared to infamous delays (e.g., Duke Nukem Forever).
Sony Earnings:
- PlayStation 5: 84 million units sold, 72% of games sold are digital, 120M PSN monthly actives.
- New 27" PlayStation gaming monitor with controller hook (but only 1440p).
- Comparison of PlayStation's consistent hardware success—and a dig at Apple’s $300 "iPhone sock."

6. AI, AGI, and Microsoft’s Strategy

Paul's Take on AI Industry Direction:
- Mustafa Suleyman (Microsoft AI lead, ex-Google DeepMind) is a rare, sincere figure—says AGI (artificial general intelligence) is a "misnomer" and proposes "Humanist Superintelligence," i.e., advanced AI as tools, not replacements:
  
  "AI should always be a helper for humans. It should advance our goals...and requires constant vigilance." (49:14, Paul summarizing Suleyman)
- General skepticism about "AGI" as a near-term reality (panel agrees it’s more useful as a marketing term).
- Adoption of multiple "smaller" models (orchestration rather than monolithic large models) is increasingly seen as the practical future.

7. Fun Tangents, Storytelling, and Culture

Farm Reports: Richard broadcasts from a New Zealand dairy farm—complete with AI-powered cow collars, tales of stormy weather, and artificial insemination (TMI warning).
Lord of the Rings Fandom:
- Paul: "I'm a Tolkien scholar. It's actually the thing I know the most about." (52:51)
Thanksgiving Turkey Tips:
- Multiple turkeys, brining, classic sides; dry brine method (Kenji Alt Lopez) discussed.
- "I think everyone should have a personal turkey." (145:03, Leo)
Hunting: Richard’s 90-year-old aunt, the dead-shot deer and boar hunter, gets shout-outs.

Notable Quotes & Timestamps

On the new Start menu (Paul):

"This is the biggest UI change to Windows 11 in a long time." (05:12)
On Patch Tuesday Admin Protection:

"It's very disruptive. Maybe that will get better over time." (08:47)
On AI Fatigue (Richard):

"People are pretty burned out." (16:37)
"We know this is a bubble and it's ending. Why are you still pretending it's not?" (16:51)
On Microsoft’s OpenAI Opacity (Paul):

“OpenAI expects to be losing $74 billion a year by 2028.” (41:26)
On Valve's new console ("Gabe Cube") (Richard):

"Anything that drives more business into Steam itself, right?" (86:02)
On Halo Infinite’s reveal:

"I will never forget my reaction ... they must be doing a Wizard of Oz thing... and it never did." (100:28, Paul)
On the evolution of dev tools:

"...You had Visual Basic back in the day...the last one was kind of like a pixel perfect designer. The problem is ... once you can have arbitrary screen resolutions, DPI, whatever... you can't do a pixel visual editor anymore." (71:07–72:28, Paul)
On Thanksgiving:

"I think everyone should have a personal turkey." (145:03, Leo)

Timestamps for Important Segments

[05:08] Patch Tuesday explained—Start Menu, battery icon, admin protection
[12:16] Dev team burnout, Ignite, "AI fatigue"
[19:53] Microsoft's Secure Future Initiative, passkeys, Surface firmware
[22:41] .NET Conf news, Visual Studio updates, Uno Platform & AI-powered app migration
[24:46] Windows 26H1, Insider/Canary/Dev channel weirdness
[27:08] Qualcomm/Apple revenue, industry business model shifts
[41:26] OpenAI's forecasted $74 billion loss, bubble talk
[49:14] Paul on AI, Suleyman, "Humanist superintelligence"
[66:13] Uno Platform’s AI demo “makes my whole life a waste of time”
[84:38] Valve's new Steam "Gabe Cube" console reaction
[100:28] Halo Infinite reveal reaction and gaming delays
[123:29] Paul’s "Tiny11 Builder" tip for minimalist Windows

Recommendations, Picks & Extras

Tip of the Week / App Recommendation:
- Try Tiny11 Builder (PowerShell script): Install Windows 11 free from bloat, Edge, telemetry, etc.
- Paul’s evolving advice: Gradate decrapification—how clean you want your install to be.
RunAs Radio Pick (Richard):
- Episode 1010 w/ Chris Ayers—Azure reliability: how to balance cost, redundancy, and outage risk.
- Links to Azure Well-Architected Framework.
Whiskey Pick:
- Kyoto Whiskey, Kura Obi (Black Belt). Beautiful bottle, but a "deceptive" Japanese whiskey that blends foreign and domestic spirits. Pricey, mostly for the look; lacks authentic Japanese whiskey pedigree.
- "I prefer my customers to be informed when there's a bad actor in this business..." (141:20, Richard)

Next Week:

Richard will connect from Australia.
Paul will share more Thanksgiving (including "personal turkey") tips.
Continued Ignite/Microsoft event reactions.

Conclusion

Recommended for:
Windows/admin pros, IT decision makers, seasoned devs, and anyone wanting to track Microsoft’s moves with a touch of humor and humanity.

Listen on Windows Weekly or your favorite podcast app.
Join Club TWiT for ad-free episodes and bonus content.

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Windows Weekly 958: Personal Turkey

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Summary

Windows Weekly 958: "Personal Turkey" (November 12, 2025)

Episode Overview

Key Discussion Points

1. Patch Tuesday/Windows 11 November Update

2. Microsoft Ignite, AI Fatigue & Transparency

3. .NET Conf 2025 / Developer News

4. Windows Next Versions & Insider Channels

5. Industry News: Qualcomm, Valve, Sony, & Gaming

6. AI, AGI, and Microsoft’s Strategy

7. Fun Tangents, Storytelling, and Culture

Notable Quotes & Timestamps

Timestamps for Important Segments

Recommendations, Picks & Extras

Next Week:

Conclusion

Summary

Windows Weekly 958: "Personal Turkey" (November 12, 2025)

Episode Overview

Key Discussion Points

1. Patch Tuesday/Windows 11 November Update

2. Microsoft Ignite, AI Fatigue & Transparency

3. .NET Conf 2025 / Developer News

4. Windows Next Versions & Insider Channels

5. Industry News: Qualcomm, Valve, Sony, & Gaming

6. AI, AGI, and Microsoft’s Strategy

7. Fun Tangents, Storytelling, and Culture

Notable Quotes & Timestamps

Timestamps for Important Segments

Recommendations, Picks & Extras

Next Week:

Conclusion