Microsoft creates new AI engineering group led by former Meta executive

Microsoft Creates New Engineering Group to Focus on Artificial Intelligence

New Division Combines AI Platform and Dev Teams

Microsoft is creating a new engineering group focused on artificial intelligence, led by former Meta engineering chief Jay Parikh. The new CoreAI – Platform and Tools division will combine Microsoft’s Dev Div and AI platform teams, alongside some employees from the Office of the CTO team, to focus on building an AI platform and tools for both Microsoft and its customers.

Nadella Outlines Vision for AI Platform

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella outlined his vision for the new team in an internal memo, using a cricket reference to note that "we’re entering the next innings of this AI platform shift" in 2025 that will "reshape all application categories." Nadella believes that every part of the application stack will be impacted by AI, and that "thirty years of change is being compressed into three years!"

Building an AI-First App Stack

To get ready for this change, Nadella sees the need for an "AI-first app stack" inside Microsoft that will impact how its own developers use and build AI apps and tools in the future. "In this world, Azure must become the infrastructure for AI, while we build our AI platform and developer tools — spanning Azure AI Foundry, GitHub, and VS Code — on top of it," says Nadella. "In other words, our AI platform and tools will come together to create agents, and these agents will come together to change every SaaS application category, and building custom applications will be driven by software (i.e. ‘service as software’).

Parikh to Lead New Group

Parikh will lead the new group as the executive vice president of CoreAI – Platform and Tools, after previously being instrumental to Meta’s engineering efforts for more than a decade. Microsoft announced Parikh’s hire in October, and this is the first major engineering shakeup since he joined the software giant. Parikh also reports directly to Nadella and is a member of Microsoft’s senior leadership team. He now has a number of other Microsoft executives reporting up to him in his new role, including AI platform chief Eric Boyd, deputy CTO of AI infrastructure Jason Taylor, head of Microsoft’s developer division Julia Liuson, and head of developer infrastructure Tim Bozarth.

Conclusion

Microsoft’s creation of the CoreAI – Platform and Tools division is a significant step in its efforts to focus on artificial intelligence. With Parikh leading the new group, the company is set to make significant changes in its approach to AI, from building an AI-first app stack to creating agents that will change every SaaS application category.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: What is the purpose of the new CoreAI – Platform and Tools division?
A: The new division is focused on building an AI platform and tools for both Microsoft and its customers, to reshape all application categories.

Q: Who will lead the new group?
A: Jay Parikh, former Meta engineering chief, will lead the new group as the executive vice president of CoreAI – Platform and Tools.

Q: What are the key goals of the new division?
A: The key goals include building an AI-first app stack, creating agents that will change every SaaS application category, and driving custom applications through software (i.e. "service as software").