Do you think AI is weak? Microsoft AI chief hits back, says he grew up playing Snake on Nokia phones
Microsoft’s AI chief Mustafa Suleiman responded to growing criticism over the company’s aggressive AI integration in Windows 11. Despite user frustrations and concerns, Suleiman is confident that AI adoption will follow previous technology trends.
If you think Microsoft is putting too much emphasis on AI, you’re not alone. As Windows chief Pavan Davuluri shared details about Windows becoming an “agentic OS,” users criticized the idea of forcing AI into their daily computing experience. But the company’s AI head Mustafa Suleiman puts it back to those who are not impressed by AI. As frustrations grow over Microsoft’s continued AI push, Suleiman has hit back at critics and reminded them how far technology has come since the days of monochrome screens and pixelated snakes.
“Lord, there are so many crazy people! It makes me sad when I hear people call AI lousy. I grew up playing Snake on Nokia phones!” he wrote on X (formerly Twitter). “The fact that people aren’t impressed that we can have a fluent conversation with a super smart AI that can generate any image/video is amazing to me.” It was a light-hearted post, but it revealed a lot about Microsoft’s attitude towards criticism.
AI is everywhere, whether you asked for it or not
For months, Windows users have been expressing irritation over what they see as AI overload. From integrating CoPilot into almost every corner of Windows 11 to Microsoft’s endless display of AI-enhanced Word, Excel, and Paint, many users feel that the company has lost sight of what really matters: a stable, reliable operating system.
That frustration flared up again this week after Microsoft’s Ignite 2025 event, where it announced another round of AI upgrades for Windows 11. Even before the keynote address was over, social media was filled with memes, complaints and sarcastic comments. Critics accused the company of “pushing AI down users’ throats”, arguing that Windows has become bloated and small in the race to be more intelligent.
The reaction is nothing new. Davuluri previously faced criticism for suggesting that Windows would increasingly act like autonomous assistants. And when Microsoft released a shiny new Copilot ad last month, users once again accused it of prioritizing marketing rhetoric over functionality.
Still, the AI push isn’t slowing down, and Suleiman, the former DeepMind co-founder who now leads Microsoft’s AI division, appears fully committed to it.
A clash of viewpoints and a surprising ally.
Suleiman’s post meanwhile underscores the growing divide between how Big Tech views AI progress and how everyday users experience it. While tech executives describe generic AI as the next great revolution, many users continue to raise concerns about privacy, reliability, and usability.
Reports suggest that CoPilot’s accuracy rate is hovering around 30 percent, which is hardly reassuring to users. Others argue that Microsoft’s determination to incorporate AI into everything, even core system settings and search, makes Windows feel more like a trial creation than a polished product.
Suleman did not directly respond to the complaints, but one thing made clear from his post is that Microsoft is moving forward with AI regardless of public skepticism. The company is confident that users will adapt over time, as they did with the Internet, smartphones, and touchscreens.
And in a small but notable twist, Elon Musk sided with Suleiman. The Tesla and ex-boss responded to his post with two simple words: “Good point.”
It was a brief endorsement, but it reflected a broader sentiment within Big Tech – that public resistance will fade once AI’s benefits become undeniable.
However, for now, Microsoft faces an uphill battle. Between privacy concerns, buggy features, and a user base that wants reliability over novelty, Suleiman’s optimism may require more than a dose of nostalgia for Nokia’s Snake to convince everyone that AI really is at the heart of Windows.
