Microsoft Opens Up Copilot 365 To Businesses of Any Size
Microsoft has removed the seat minimum for Copilot for Microsoft 365, opening up its enterprise-targeting AI-powered productivity tool to businesses of any size.
When Copilot for 365 launched in November, it was restricted by a 300-seat user minimum, which alienated many SMBs. Priced at $30 per user per month, that was an extra minimum expense of $9000 a month.
Whereas a Microsoft 365 ME3 or M35 license was previously required, Microsoft 365 Business Standard or Business Premium subscribers can now buy Copilot for Microsoft 365 at $30 per user per month, while commercial customers can purchase Copilot for Microsoft 365 through Microsoft’s network of Cloud Solution Provider partners.
Yusuf Mehdi, Executive Vice President, Consumer Chief Marketing Officer at Microsoft, said:
To help address those needs, today we’re delighted to announce more options for power users, creators and anyone looking to take their Copilot experience to the next level(…) We’re excited to bring Copilot for Microsoft 365 to more commercial customers by expanding the availability to businesses of all sizes, including small- and medium-sized businesses, starting today.”
Microsoft is pitching this almost as another soft launch for Copilot, given the idea that any organisation could leverage its feature set was something of the expectation before November’s news about the 300-seat minimum. Microsoft is suggesting this update means that 365 Copilot is now generally available for any and all organisations.
Salesforce CTO Replaces Slack Cofounder
Salesforce cofounder and CTO Parker Harris has reportedly been named Slack‘s new CTO, replacing the outgoing Cal Henderson.
As reported by Fortune, Henderson, also Slack’s cofounder, is to step down effective immediately but stay in post until March 1. Harris is set to refocus his Salesforce responsibilities towards Slack, and it is unclear who will replace him as Salesforce CTO for now.
"I think there’s an average amount of time that founders stay after an acquisition, and this is way longer than that," a Salesforce spokesperson told Fortune. "This was not a surprise. This was something that’s been talked about for quite some time."
The recent C-suite shakeup, as capped off by the change at CTO, means that all of Slack’s original founders will no longer be with the business.
Slack’s founding CEO, Stewart Butterfield, announced he was leaving the collaboration business in December 2022, less than two years after the Salesforce acquisition was announced. He was replaced by Lidiane Jones, who lasted less than a year before taking up the equivalent role at dating platform Bumble this month. Slack’s new CEO, Denise Dresser, had 12 years of Salesforce experience behind her before taking up the top job.
