Frank X. Shaw

lead communications for Microsoft.

[Frank X. Shaw @fxshaw]

i refuse to be enraged by opinion pieces no matter how many times they are re-tweeted here. I am enraged enough by news.

[Frank X. Shaw @fxshaw]

@amir 🤔

[Frank X. Shaw @fxshaw]

@migueldeicaza @film_girl i got the new surface ultra today Miguel.

[Frank X. Shaw @fxshaw]

@kyliebytes he's okay. ;)

[Frank X. Shaw @fxshaw]

That was a lot of fun!

[toddbishop @toddbishop]

Microsoft’s longtime comms chief @fxshaw, who's leaving at the end of the year, joins @maryjofoley and me to reflect on working with Microsoft's three CEOs, lessons learned over the years, and how communications and media are changing in the AI era. https://t.co/fGcivKGUtn

[Frank X. Shaw @fxshaw]

I'm continuing to work through my archive of the TGIFs i've published internally over the years. Trust is a common theme. Back in TGIF #289 (end of july 2020) I wrote:

"A consistent theme for these mails over the last set of years has been about truth, and trust, and facts. How trust is critical for Microsoft, and really for any institution. If you have trust, work to keep it. If you have lost trust, work to restore it. If you are a media outlet, protect your credibility. If you have expertise, showcase that expertise, put it to good use, don’t loan your expertise to others who will use it against you."

The rest of the TGIF captures the moment, but also THIS moment as well, as somethings have gotten even worse, from a trust/truth standpoint. I closed this one by reflecting on what I learned as a public affairs officer in the USMC:

"Years ago, as a young public affairs officer in the Marines, I was told, over and over, that while we worked for the Marines, we were accountable to the American public. Our jobs were to navigate the tension that this could cause in a way that consistently allowed us (and thus the Marines) to be trusted by all the stakeholders we had – our local community, the family members of Marines, government officials, other branches of the service. A big part of this accountability lies in realizing we all had a responsibility to build or maintain or restore trust in this institution that we loved and served, and by so doing, serve the great good."

We can build trust, we can trade it away, for each of us as individuals or the institutions we support. For those who would make that trade, I think about the lyric in Jeffrey Foucault's "Ghost Repeater:" "It's a buyers market/When you sell your soul" and pair this with Matthew 16:26: “What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul?"

https://t.co/JnKrCXhNTE

[Jeff Teper @jeffteper]

More fun tomorrow SharePointers 😉

[Frank X. Shaw @fxshaw]

@film_girl wtf right

[Frank X. Shaw @fxshaw]

As I slowly wrap up my time as chief communications officer at Microsoft, I'm reflecting on some of the things I've learned and experienced over the years, and publishing them on my personal website. Today, it was about mistakes. https://t.co/2Pmr1JbEyF

[Pavan Davuluri @pavandavuluri]

Today, we announced new @Windows platform capabilities and @surface devices built to empower people and organizations for the era of hybrid intelligence. Here are some of the highlights:

- It all starts with trust. Microsoft Execution Containers (MXC) is now generally available on Windows 11, keeping agents contained within boundaries the operating system enforces.

- HydraFusion brings hybrid intelligence to life, allowing models to run locally while seamlessly accessing the cloud when more scale or capability is needed. We're working with @github to extend HydraFusion to Windows.

- This fall, Search on the taskbar adds thousands of quick actions, making it easier to adjust settings and get things done as fast as you can type.

- @MSFTCopilot is getting more powerful on Windows. With hybrid intelligence, it can tap into your PC's local capabilities and turn your requests into action, while keeping you in control.

- Local agents are coming to Windows too. Muse is on its way as a native Windows app with MXC integration, and Hermes, OpenClaw, and Perplexity are already building local experiences on Windows.

- Surface Laptop Ultra, built with NVIDIA RTX Spark, is the most powerful Surface we've ever built. It's available for pre-order today, along with the Surface RTX Spark Dev Box and new RTX Spark PCs from our partners. Call of Duty is coming to RTX Spark in 2027.

Read more on the Windows Blog: https://t.co/DRx3HgDqsS

[Frank X. Shaw @fxshaw]

@coreydu @uoregon Thank you Corey! As you know well, communications is a team sport, and at every point in my career I have been surrounded by brilliant people.

[Frank X. Shaw @fxshaw]

That was the worst PI call ever

[Frank X. Shaw @fxshaw]

@coreydu please blow it open in the second half UW and USC can chase riley out of town

[Frank X. Shaw @fxshaw]

@jimprosser 16 years ago. :) Measuring Our Work by Its Broad Impact https://t.co/atAEmLxXIL

[Frank X. Shaw @fxshaw]

Boundary conditions shape the possible and provide constraints. Boundary objects connect / cross boundaries. Liminal spaces provide reflection and spur imagination. Phase transitions allow us to create something new. https://t.co/bAVu3HSqnQ via @LinkedIn

[Frank X. Shaw @fxshaw]

RIP Annie Dillard, a great writer I've turned to often, both for coaching on how to write, and on how to best live in the world. "How we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives" she said; a reminder to be present and intentional. I will miss new words from her and cherish the old.

[Kyle Daigle @kdaigle]

Dear Devs,

Time to think bigger and local.

See you there. 🌁

[ASHA @asha_shar]

First BlizzCon. Great to see the community together this weekend.

[Frank X. Shaw @fxshaw]

@irdgafbish @Mynamis_Private @IMOUTOFTOKENS @SL09950 "sacked" 🤣

[Frank X. Shaw @fxshaw]

Lots of bad information out there --let's clear it up.

• Recent workforce changes were made to restructure the XBOX business because it is not healthy. They were not made to replace employees with foreign workers.
• The H-1B figures being referenced are Microsoft-wide visa renewals and new hire applications. They are not specific to XBOX and represent a small percentage of Microsoft's overall workforce. And the majority of roles impacted were not American roles.
• XBOX is the largest employer of American workers in the gaming industry and the largest American gaming company.
• And Asha is an American born, raised, and educated CEO, from Wisconsin.

[Frank X. Shaw @fxshaw]

@ashleevance that dinner with Steve, one of my faves.

[Frank X. Shaw @fxshaw]

a bit of news. :)

[Tom Warren @tomwarren]

Microsoft's comms chief @fxshaw is leaving the company after almost 20 years. Shaw has been at the heart of Microsoft’s comms since 1997, helping the company navigate CEO transitions, the all-important bet on cloud, and huge acquisitions. Details here 👇https://t.co/rnXYu9l3SO

[Frank X. Shaw @fxshaw]

@carawalkPDX going to be a professional duck fan.