tech
February 11, 2026
How AI changes the math for startups, according to a Microsoft VP
Amanda Silver is a corporate vice president at Microsoft’s CoreAI division, where she works on tools for deploying apps and agentic systems within enterprises.
TL;DR
- Agentic AI is expected to reduce the cost of software operations, similar to how the public cloud did for startups.
- This reduction in costs will likely lead to more startups launching, with higher valuations and smaller teams.
- Multi-step agents are being used for tasks like updating codebase dependencies, saving significant time.
- Agentic systems are also improving live-site operations by diagnosing and mitigating issues, reducing the need for human intervention during incidents.
- Stumbling blocks for agent deployment include unclear business use cases and definitions of success, rather than general uncertainty.
- Human-in-the-loop scenarios will remain common, especially for critical operations or borderline cases where AI is not yet proficient.
- The effectiveness of AI in tasks like inspecting packages for returns is increasing, reducing the need for human oversight.
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