Survey says no, American workers are not keen on Microsoft's AI
A survey by the Coalition for Fair Software Licensing indicates that many American workers are skeptical of Microsoft's AI integration into its productivity tools, viewing it as a tactic to lock employers into its ecosystem. Three-quarters of respondents believe Microsoft is leveraging its market dominance to push AI services, and a majority oppose the company's new E7 AI bundle. While Microsoft suspects Google's involvement in funding the coalition, neither Google nor Microsoft provided official comments for the report.
- ▪Three-quarters of surveyed U.S. workers believe Microsoft is using its dominance in productivity software to push its AI services.
- ▪57 percent of workers oppose their employers purchasing Microsoft's E7 AI bundle.
- ▪Only one-third of respondents said they prefer Microsoft as an AI vendor, while 78 percent said they could perform their jobs equally well with another vendor's AI tools.
- ▪Microsoft has alleged in past statements that Google funds the Coalition for Fair Software Licensing, though the coalition does not disclose its membership.
- ▪Google and Microsoft did not provide official comments in response to inquiries about the survey and the coalition's affiliations.
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SaaS Survey says no, American workers are not keen on Microsoft's AI Lock-in worries threaten to dampen the E7 launch party Richard Speed Thu 30 Apr 2026 // 14:19 UTC The Coalition for Fair Software Licensing has published research showing that US workers reckon Microsoft is using its productivity tools to lock their employers into the company's AI services. Microsoft 365 confirms new premium tier, stuffed with AI and few discounts READ MORE The survey data of more than 1,000 workers - out a day before the release of Microsoft's E7 AI bundle - found that three-quarters believed Microsoft was using its dominance in productivity software to push AI. More than half (57 percent) opposed their employer buying Microsoft's E7 bundle.
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