Yusuf Mehdi is a Microsoft veteran of more than 31 years, who has been involved in the development and launch of some of the company's biggest products, including Windows 95 and Windows 11, the Xbox One console, and past versions of Microsoft's search engine. He's currently the corporate vice president and consumer chief marketing officer. 

He spoke with GeekWire's Todd Bishop on the Microsoft campus on Tuesday, a few hours after introducing the new Bing search engine and an updated version of Microsoft's Edge browser with a sidebar that uses AI to generate and analyze web content.

Topics of the discussion include the potential impact of AI search on content creators, Google's preemptive response to Microsoft's announcement, the precautions Microsoft is taking to prevent another "Tay" moment, and both the capabilities and limitations of this new generation of AI.

The new Bing, along with an updated version of Microsoft’s Edge browser, are available in a limited preview, with a wait-list for those who want to try the AI search and web copilot as they roll out more broadly.

Related Coverage
Arguing with AI: My first dispute with Microsoft’s brilliant and boneheaded Bing search engine
Microsoft reveals new search engine and browser with AI ‘copilot,’ escalating battle with Google

Yusuf Mehdi is a Microsoft veteran of more than 31 years, who has been involved in the development and launch of some of the company's biggest products, including Windows 95 and Windows 11, the Xbox One console, and past versions of Microsoft's search engine. He's currently the corporate vice president and consumer chief marketing officer. 
He spoke with GeekWire's Todd Bishop on the Microsoft campus on Tuesday, a few hours after <a href="https://www.geekwire.com/2023/microsoft-reveals-new-search-engine-and-browser-with-ai-copilot-escalating-battle-with-google/">introducing the new Bing search engine</a> and an updated version of Microsoft's Edge browser with a sidebar that uses AI to generate and analyze web content.
Topics of the discussion include the potential impact of AI search on content creators, <a href="https://www.geekwire.com/2023/google-unveils-chatgpt-rival-and-ai-search-tools-one-day-before-previously-secret-microsoft-event/">Google's preemptive response</a> to Microsoft's announcement, the precautions Microsoft is taking to prevent another <a href="https://www.geekwire.com/2016/microsoft-chatbot-tay-mit-technology-fails/">"Tay" moment</a>, and both the capabilities and limitations of this new generation of AI.
The new Bing, along with an updated version of Microsoft’s Edge browser, are available in a limited preview, with <a href="https://www.bing.com/new">a wait-list</a> for those who want to try the AI search and web copilot as they roll out more broadly.
Related Coverage
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.geekwire.com/2023/arguing-with-ai-my-first-dispute-with-microsofts-brilliant-and-boneheaded-new-bing-search-engine/">Arguing with AI: My first dispute with Microsoft’s brilliant and boneheaded Bing search engine</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.geekwire.com/2023/microsoft-reveals-new-search-engine-and-browser-with-ai-copilot-escalating-battle-with-google/">Microsoft reveals new search engine and browser with AI ‘copilot,’ escalating battle with Google</a></li>
</ul>

GeekWire brings you the week's latest technology news, trends and insights, covering the world of technology from our home base in Seattle. Our regular news podcast features commentary and analysis from our editors and reporters, plus interviews with special guests.

GeekWire reporters John Cook, Todd Bishop and guests talk about the latest tech news and trends.

GeekWire

The new Microsoft Bing, and how AI is changing the web

This week: Rec Room, the Seattle-based social gaming platform once valued at $3.5 billion, is shutting down — and Snap is picking up some of the pieces.

Todd talks about what it was like fielding calls from distraught users on the night of the announcement. John offers his thoughts on what the shutdown says about the VR hype cycle, and whether everyone betting on the AI boom should take notes.

Plus: Major League Baseball's new automated ball-strike system is already exposing umpires and creating a whole new kind of showboating — including one player who was so confident the robot would overrule the ump that he just started walking to first base.

Also on the show: Todd road-tests Amazon's new FedEx Office returns partnership (pro tip: don't ask for stamps), OpenAI makes a head-scratching move into media by acquiring tech talk show TBPN, John gets fooled by an April Fools' prank, WSU researchers take on the torpedo bat, and our weekly trivia segment ties Apple's 50th anniversary to a piece of Microsoft lore.

Thanks to this week's sponsor: This episode is brought to you by Microsoft, proud to call Washington state home and committed to strengthening the communities that made its growth possible — investing in infrastructure, workforce development, education, and nonprofit partnerships to help ensure innovation drives broad-based prosperity across the state. Read more.

With GeekWire co-founders Todd Bishop and John Cook. Edited by Curt Milton. 

This week: <a href="https://www.geekwire.com/2026/snap-acquires-assets-from-rec-room-as-social-gaming-platform-announces-shutdown/">Rec Room</a>, the Seattle-based social gaming platform once valued at $3.5 billion, is shutting down &mdash; and <a href="https://www.geekwire.com/2026/snap-acquires-assets-from-rec-room-as-social-gaming-platform-announces-shutdown/">Snap is picking up some of the pieces</a>.
Todd talks about what it was like fielding calls from distraught users on the night of the announcement. John offers his thoughts on what the shutdown says about the VR hype cycle, and whether everyone betting on the AI boom should take notes.
Plus: Major League Baseball's new <a href="https://www.mlb.com/news/abs-challenge-system-mlb-2026">automated ball-strike system</a> is already exposing umpires and creating a whole new kind of showboating &mdash; including one player who was so confident the robot would overrule the ump that he just started walking to first base.
Also on the show: Todd road-tests <a href="https://www.geekwire.com/2026/amazon-and-fedex-together-again-this-time-for-e-commerce-returns/">Amazon's new FedEx Office returns partnership</a> (pro tip: don't ask for stamps), <a href="https://techcrunch.com/2026/04/02/openai-acquires-tbpn-the-buzzy-founder-led-business-talk-show/">OpenAI makes a head-scratching move into media</a> by acquiring tech talk show TBPN, John gets fooled by an April Fools' prank, <a href="https://www.geekwire.com/2026/wood-is-wood-wsu-research-finds-yankees-viral-torpedo-bats-perform-the-same-as-traditional-bats/">WSU researchers take on the torpedo bat</a>, and our weekly trivia segment ties&nbsp;<a href="https://www.geekwire.com/2026/on-apples-50th-recalling-the-time-a-microsoft-engineer-drove-steve-jobs-so-crazy-he-invented-the-ipad/">Apple's 50th anniversary</a> to a piece of Microsoft lore.
Thanks to this week's sponsor:&nbsp;This episode is brought to you by Microsoft, proud to call Washington state home and committed to strengthening the communities that made its growth possible &mdash; investing in infrastructure, workforce development, education, and nonprofit partnerships to help ensure innovation drives broad-based prosperity across the state.&nbsp;<a href="link">Read more.</a>
With GeekWire co-founders Todd Bishop and John Cook. Edited by Curt Milton.&nbsp;

Rec Room, the Seattle-based social gaming platform once valued at $3.5 billion, is shutting down — and Snap is picking up some of the pieces. Todd broke the news, fielded calls from distraught users, and connects the VR bust to lessons for the AI boom. Plus: MLB's new automated ball-strike system is exposing umpires and creating a whole new kind of showboating, Todd road-tests Amazon's FedEx Office returns partnership, OpenAI makes a head-scratching media acquisition, and the trivia question ties Apple's 50th anniversary to a word Microsoft tried and failed to make happen.

Rec Room shutdown, robot umps, FedEx meets Amazon, and OpenAI's odd media buy

Fresh off the big GeekWire AI summit this week, Todd and John unpack what they heard from Microsoft EVP Charles Lamanna, OpenAI applications CTO Vijaye Raji, and other speakers at the Agents of Transformation event in Seattle, presented by Accenture.

The big thread: the economics of AI, from token budgets becoming a hiring negotiation point to startups running on subsidized credits that may not last.

Plus, a startup founder whose engineer burned through $5,000 in AI tokens over a single weekend of vibe coding, OpenAI shutting down Sora amid $15 million-a-day processing costs, and why one panelist says the metrics most companies are tracking are "watermelon metrics" — green (profit) on the outside, red (losses) on the inside.

Also: how Todd used a Claude project over several months to prep for the event, John's experience bouncing between Gemini and ChatGPT, and why the simplistic chat era may be over. 

And in this week's trivia: Sound Transit's light rail starts crossing Lake Washington on a floating bridge — but when did the original I-90 floating bridge open?

With GeekWire co-founders John Cook and Todd Bishop. Edited by Curt Milton.

Fresh off the big GeekWire AI summit this week, Todd and John unpack what they heard from Microsoft EVP Charles Lamanna, OpenAI applications CTO Vijaye Raji, and other speakers at the <a href="https://www.geekwire.com/2026/beyond-the-chatbot-at-geekwire-summit-ai-leaders-say-the-era-of-autonomous-agents-is-already-here/">Agents of Transformation event in Seattle</a>, presented by Accenture.
The big thread: the economics of AI, from <a href="https://www.geekwire.com/2026/microsoft-exec-charles-lamanna-on-how-ai-is-creating-an-expensive-new-request-from-job-candidates/">token budgets</a> becoming a hiring negotiation point to startups running on subsidized credits that may not last.
Plus, a startup founder whose engineer burned through $5,000 in AI tokens over a single weekend of vibe coding, OpenAI shutting down Sora amid $15 million-a-day processing costs, and why one panelist says the metrics most companies are tracking are "watermelon metrics" &mdash; green (profit) on the outside, red (losses) on the inside.
Also: how Todd used a Claude project over several months to prep for the event, John's experience bouncing between Gemini and ChatGPT, and why the simplistic chat era may be over.&nbsp;
And in this week's trivia: Sound Transit's light rail <a href="https://www.geekwire.com/2026/geekwire-rides-the-worlds-first-floating-bridge-train-seattle-tech-commutes-will-never-be-the-same/https://www.geekwire.com/2026/geekwire-rides-the-worlds-first-floating-bridge-train-seattle-tech-commutes-will-never-be-the-same/">starts crossing Lake Washington on a floating bridge</a> &mdash; but when did the original I-90 floating bridge open?
With GeekWire co-founders John Cook and Todd Bishop. Edited by Curt Milton.

GeekWire AI summit takeaways: Token budgets, watermelon metrics, and the $5k weekend coder

Amazon is working on a new smartphone, code-named "Transformer," more than a decade after the Fire Phone debacle, according to Reuters. We dig into the connection to a past GeekWire scoop: former Microsoft Xbox leader J Allard joined Amazon's devices team in 2024, and he's now leading a group called ZeroOne with a mandate to create "breakthrough" gadgets. Is this an AI-native device? A companion to your iPhone? J Allard's shot at redemption? Maybe all of the above.

There's more great Fire Phone background in this Vergecast "Version History" podcast.

Then: Microsoft shakes up its Copilot team, shifting Mustafa Suleyman to a narrower role and unifying consumer and enterprise AI under a new leader. Todd has strong feelings about Microsoft's history of cutesy consumer tech, from Clippy to Mico.

Plus: Todd's adventure using Claude CoWork to browse LinkedIn (and the stern warning he got in response), King County Metro's slick new tap-to-pay feature catches the transit system up with the modern world, the opening of cross-lake light rail, and an Amazon Treasure truck trivia question.

With GeekWire co-founders Todd Bishop and John Cook. Audio editing by Curt Milton.

Amazon is working on a new smartphone, code-named "Transformer," more than a decade after the Fire Phone debacle, <a href="https://www.reuters.com/technology/amazon-plans-smartphone-comeback-more-than-decade-after-fire-phone-flop-2026-03-20/">according to Reuters</a>. We dig into the connection to <a href="https://www.geekwire.com/2024/former-microsoft-xbox-leader-j-allard-joins-amazon-in-latest-surprise-career-twist/">a past GeekWire scoop</a>: former Microsoft Xbox leader J Allard joined Amazon's devices team in 2024, and he's now leading a group called <a href="https://www.geekwire.com/2025/amazon-has-a-secretive-new-hardware-group-led-by-former-xbox-leader-j-allard/">ZeroOne</a> with a mandate to create "breakthrough" gadgets. Is this an AI-native device? A companion to your iPhone? J Allard's shot at redemption? Maybe all of the above.
There's more great Fire Phone background in this&nbsp;<a href="https://www.theverge.com/podcast/816739/amazon-fire-phone-version-history">Vergecast "Version History" podcast.</a>
Then: Microsoft <a href="https://www.geekwire.com/2026/microsoft-revamps-copilot-structure-elevating-former-snap-exec-as-suleyman-shifts-to-ai-models/">shakes up its Copilot team</a>, shifting Mustafa Suleyman to a narrower role and unifying consumer and enterprise AI under a new leader. Todd has strong feelings about Microsoft's history of cutesy consumer tech, from Clippy to Mico.
Plus: Todd's adventure using Claude CoWork to browse LinkedIn (and the stern warning he got in response), King County Metro's slick <a href="https://www.geekwire.com/2026/seattle-transits-new-tap-to-pay-feature-goes-live-next-week-well-ahead-of-world-cup/">new tap-to-pay feature</a> catches the transit system up with the modern world, the opening of cross-lake light rail, and an Amazon Treasure truck trivia question.
With GeekWire co-founders Todd Bishop and John Cook. Audio editing by Curt Milton.

The new Microsoft Bing, and how AI is changing the web

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