WorkSeptember 10, 2026via GeekWire
Microsoft 2.5: EVP Pavan Davuluri wants to remake Windows for both human and agent users
Why it matters
A senior Microsoft executive is reshaping Windows to accommodate autonomous AI agents running alongside human users—a fundamental shift in how operating systems will be designed. The backlash to his earlier framing signals real tension between the promise of agent productivity and user control/trust.
Key signals
- Pavan Davuluri (EVP, Windows and Surface) rebuilding OS architecture for agent execution
- Customer backlash followed November 2025 'agentic OS' announcement
- Focus on Windows quality and reliability as prerequisite for agent deployment
- Interview format; strategic positioning rather than product ship or concrete feature
- Signals upcoming OS-level changes to support autonomous workflows
- Pavan Davuluri (EVP, Windows and Surface) rebuilding OS for agent-human coexistence
- Prior 'agentic OS' post generated customer backlash (November 2025)
- Focus on Windows quality and reliability alongside agent capability
- Interview-based narrative, not product announcement or hard data
The hook
Microsoft's Windows chief just acknowledged the backlash. Here's what 'agentic OS' actually means for your workflow.
Pavan Davuluri, who runs Windows and Surface at Microsoft, is rebuilding the operating system so AI agents can run on it alongside people. In the latest installment of GeekWire's Microsoft 2.5 series, he talks with Mary Jo Foley about the customer backlash that followed his "agentic OS" post last No…