A Lying Liar Who Lies ⭐️

We never seem to learn the lessons of the past.

In 2017, Microsoft engaged in what I called "privacy theater" when it responded to the complaints about its privacy overreaches in Windows 10 by changing absolutely nothing important and fooling just about everyone.

In 2024, Microsoft did it again with Recall, a Windows 11 feature unique to Copilot+ PCs. This time, privacy and (supposed) security experts complained, Microsoft made a show of listening to the feedback but made no material technical changes to the feature, fooling just about everyone.

In both cases, Microsoft fooled the critics into silence, correctly betting that they would simply move on to the next controversy instead of actually paying attention to what it did. But I pay attention, and I know many of you do as well. And what Microsoft says is often different from what it does.

Well, it's 2026, and Microsoft is at it again. This time, with two new controveries: The way it's jamming Copilot and other AI features down the collective throats of Windows 11 users, and its evolution of Xbox as a brand to focus more on game publishing and not on dedicated console hardware.

And based on what I see out there in the world, two things are clear. Microsoft will never change its ways. And we are as gullible as ever, falling for the same trick again and again. Babies playing peek-a-boo exhibit more capacity for nuance and logic than we sometimes do.

Our ability--and desire--to believe this pathological liar is depressing and shocking. And, I don't know, maybe it's just human nature. But we need to think--and think clearly--when it comes to this company. If it helps frame the problem for you, think about it this way. Any company that enshittifies its products is, by definition, lying to you. That doesn't mean that everything that company says is a lie. But if the claim is about a product that is thoroughly enshittified--and we've demonstrated that Windows 11 and Xbox both meet that standard--then we need more than words and our desire to believe those words.

As a former president once said so eloquently, "fool me once, shame on you; fool me ... you can't get fooled again". OK, maybe that's not the right example. But you get the idea. This is just common sense.

With Windows 11, we have two complementary thoughts, one that is real and one that is largely invented. On the one hand, Microsoft did publicly state that it would focus on pain points--things like system performance, reliability, and the overall experience--this year with Windows 11. And we have seen some positive improvements in the product. There is something happening, something positive.

The problem is that when some enthusiasts hear the term pain points, they think only of their own pet peeve, Copilot and any other AI they don't want in Windows. Some of that work is terrible, and some even rises to the threshold of enshittification. But Microsoft never said anything about backing off from its AI-centric...