Windows Weekly 955: Chewy Indifference – Windows 11's AI-Native Agentic Future

Date: October 22, 2025

Hosts: Leo Laporte (A), Paul Thurrott (B), Richard Campbell (C)

Episode Overview

Theme:
This episode dives deep into Microsoft's latest vision for Windows 11, focusing on its transformation into an "AI-native agentic operating system." The hosts explore the realities and implications of this shift towards an "AI PC", the challenges and drama around Microsoft's Copilot and related ecosystem, the ongoing integration of AI into both consumer and business platforms, and current developments in the broader Microsoft universe—from patch fiascos to Xbox's evolving strategy. They also reflect candidly on who drives these innovations and whether real user needs align with industry ambitions.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Global Travels and Conference Life

• Richard joins from an old brewery-turned-arts-center in Stavanger, Norway, sharing experiences from regional tech conferences and talking to university students about computing trends.
• "Norwegians, we sat at a table together... They do very well [in English]... My Norwegian is terrible." (C, 03:00)
• Business travel versus pleasure: Both hosts reflect that business trips rarely allow for relaxation as public perception suggests.

2. Windows 11: The "AI-Native, Agentic OS"

Microsoft's Big AI Push

• The hosts detail Microsoft's recent announcements about their new vision for Windows as an "agentic" and "AI-native" OS.
  • Agentic OS: The system will be populated with "agents" that proactively do tasks for users, moving beyond traditional apps towards workflows orchestrated by AI.
  • AI PC: Microsoft seeks to define (and redefine) what an AI PC is, now that various hardware (Intel, AMD, ARM) can participate—not just Copilot Plus/ARM chips.

Notable Quote:

"They're saying Windows is transitioning into this new era and it's going to be an agentic OS, meaning there'll be agents in Windows that you can control." (B, 11:00)

Copilot Everywhere

• Wake words (Copilot/Goodbye), Copilot Vision (screen sharing and camera), and deeper integration throughout the OS, replacing classic UI elements like the taskbar search box with AI-driven features.
• Integration Plans: Expansion of Copilot features from consumer to business (M365), with further announcements expected at Microsoft Ignite.

AI PC (Hardware & Industry Tensions)

• Discussion of the Copilot Plus PC label, initial ARM exclusivity, Intel's competitive "AI PC" framing, and the resulting confusion.
  • Industry Drama: Microsoft had to "escort" Intel out of the Copilot PC press event: "They escorted them off campus... they tried to crash it." (B, 08:54)

Redefining Apps & Workflows

• The hosts note how context menus ("AI Actions") will soon integrate both Microsoft and third-party AI agents, leading to eventual overlap and potential complexity in workflows.

Notable Quote:

"AI is the end of apps... Browsing is going to effectively go away... we're just going to be talking to something and it will do this on the back end." (B, 13:49)

3. User Control, Trust, and the “Chewy Indifference” of AI

Risks of Agentic Automation

• The potential dangers of giving AI agents real authority (like spending money or managing sensitive tasks) are highlighted with humorous and real-life cautionary tales.

"You're gonna get up one day and get a notification it bought something using your credit card..." (B, 26:25)

• Past blunders (kids buying fish in iOS games) serve as analogies for the scale of risk with true agentic systems (28:15).

Who Asked For This?

• The hosts debate whether users ever requested such automation—or if AI is just the next insertion by Big Tech to generate new revenue streams.

"Did anybody ask for this? ...It's big tech's agenda because it's great for them..." (A, 32:05)

Control and Transparency

• Microsoft claims users "will always be in control," but as always, the truth resides in the EULA and buried settings.

"There'll be tons of language about how you're always in control... The truth will be in the EULA, the thing you never read." (B/C, 34:05/34:11)

4. Patch Tuesday Fiasco: Uproar in Recovery Environment

The USB Killer Patch

• The October Patch Tuesday update broke USB keyboard/mouse support in Windows Recovery Environment, causing issues especially for desktops without built-in keyboards.
• Emergency update released. Advice: hang on to that PS/2 keyboard.

"What they killed was USB keyboard and mice in the Windows recovery environment... That's kind of the last time you want to notice that." (B/A, 43:38/43:50)

5. Insider Previews and New Features

• Minor improvements and fixes to:
  • Mobile device pairing and management (Android webcam as example, 48:07)
  • Start menu, battery icons, Copilot in taskbar
  • “Drag tray” UI for Snap/Share still missing for many
• Windows 11 app (Paint) gets "Restyle" (AI-powered image transformation, like Instagram filters).

6. The AI Competition: Ecosystem Jockeying

OpenAI Browser Drama

• OpenAI launches its Atlas browser—Mac-only, despite deep Microsoft partnership and Chromium base.
  • "It's a checkbox in Visual Studio. What are you doing?" (B, 52:47)

Messenger App Gone

• Meta is dropping Messenger for Windows/Mac. Web clients persist, but fragmentation reigns.

Cross-Platform Integration

• Anthropic’s Claude and Perplexity AI now integrate with Microsoft 365; Samsung and Roku are adding AI to their smart TVs.

  • "LLMs on your TV... This is a thing that is running a processor that's slower than the thing that went to the moon..." (B, 86:06)

• The hosts express skepticism about the real utility and wisdom of jamming AI into every device.

7. Microsoft’s Fiscal Reality and Consumer Focus

• Paul breaks down Microsoft’s SEC filings:
  • Consumer business (Windows, Xbox, Microsoft 365 Personal) likely ~30% of total, but impossible to audit due to internal complexity.
  • Clear strategy: maximize recurring/subscription revenue, cross-licensing between “consumer” and “business” units.
  • Surface's importance is waning; more focus now on Xbox, Windows, M365.

"They basically said... auditing our business is next to impossible." (B, 62:17)

8. Xbox & Gaming: Hardware, Indies, and Premium Future

• Next-gen Xbox confirmed to be "very premium," suggesting $1000+ price tags and a focus on high-end experiences. PC as first-class Xbox client is likely the main path forward.

"There will be a next gen console and she described it as very premium, high end... You're starting to see some of the thinking in the handheld." (B, 95:59)

• Xbox expands partnerships (ASUS ROG Ally, etc.), with focus on subscriptions, indie games, and platform reach.
• Price increases hit consoles and dev kits—“timing is tough, but whatever” (B, 104:08).

Notable Quotes and Memorable Moments

• "One of the end games is you set up an agent... to buy a Sonos speaker. As soon as that happens, it buys it with your credit card and ships it to your house." (B, 26:35)

• "AI is the end of apps... the browser will actually become an agentic browser to do tasks for you." (B, 13:49)

• "I'm struggling with you painting Microsoft as the good guys here..." (C, 09:05)

• "Every time you sell the NFT, I get a little... and I have pictures of monkeys!" (A, 70:16) — On extraction economics in tech.

• "Did anybody ask for this? Or is it... big tech's agenda because it's great for them..." (A, 32:05)

• "There'll be tons of language about how you're always in control... the truth will be in the EULA—the thing you never read." (C, 34:11)

Timestamps for Key Segments

|Timestamp| Topic/Quote/Segment | |-------------|---------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 06:30 | Microsoft's "AI agentic OS" explained; redefining the AI PC | | 08:54 | Intel escorted out of Copilot PC event | | 13:49 | "AI is the end of apps"—automation will replace browsing | | 26:25 | Agentic AI: risks of automation and real world spending/Bill G. stories | | 28:35 | Taming agentic AI: lessons from kid-in-app purchases, fraud potential | | 32:05 | "Did anybody ask for this? Or is this big tech's agenda?" | | 34:05 | False reassurances of user control in EULAs | | 43:38 | October Patch Tuesday breaks USB keyboards/mice in recovery mode | | 52:47 | OpenAI launches browser for Mac only—Microsoft partnership irony | | 86:06 | "LLMs on your TV... slower than the thing that went to the moon" | | 62:17 | "Auditing our business is next to impossible." (on Microsoft consumer $) | | 95:59 | Xbox's next-gen console: "very premium," likely $1000+, shift in platform vision |

Back of the Book

App Picks & Tips

• Laptop Upgrades: Rise of repairable/upgradable PCs; swapping out SSD on low-end HP OmniBook 5 (109:50)
• Epic Games Store: Free games every week (e.g., Samarost 3 runs great on ARM)
• Password Managers: 1Password beta supports Windows passkeys at the OS level
• Linux for Windows Expats: Zorin OS 18 praised for Windows compatibility/familiarity
  • Downloads doubled after End of Windows 10 support (122:05)

RunAs Radio (Richard's Podcast Pick)

• Interview with Paula Januszkiewicz, career paths in cybersecurity, and the value of relentless curiosity (125:39)

Brown Liquor Segment (Richard's Whisky Pick)

• Laphroaig 10: Islay's honest and classic peated Scotch, revered by royalty and collectors (127:30+)
• Story includes deaths, inheritance, unique production, and the Friends of Laphroaig "lease a square foot, get a dram" tradition.

Closing Thoughts

The episode is a candid, at times skeptical, look at the friction between ambitious AI tech rollouts and the practical, sometimes weary, reality of users and IT pros. From agentic automation to the industry's incessant makeover cycles, the panel remains alternately amused, wary, and resigned: "Everything’s fine. We’re fine." (A, 142:57)

End of Summary