Microsoft CTO Kevin Scott: five AI insights for startups
Kevin Scott outlined five practical ways founders can use current AI capabilities.
Last week Microsoft chief technology officer Kevin Scott told entrepreneurs and technologists at South Park Commons in San Francisco that startups can do more right now with AI.
The company said in a statement that Scott highlighted tools such as coding agents and large-context models, noted lower experimentation costs, and said entire categories remain open to founders who are willing to test ideas quickly.
He laid out five priorities for founders. First, focus on what’s real and seek frequent feedback to pressure-test assumptions. Second, take advantage of the capability overhang but be prepared for persistent, hands-on work. “I know building things is hard. It’s a grind. Just don’t lose sight of how special this moment is,” he said.
Third, view open-source and proprietary models as complementary tools rather than opposing camps. Fourth, embrace cheap, fast experimentation and accept failure as part of learning. Fifth, keep product decisions grounded in whether they empower people and deliver real value. “Some of the things that you need to do to squeeze the capability out of these systems is just ugly-looking plumbing stuff, or grungy product building,” Scott said.
The company linked to the full conversation between Scott and Aditya Agarwal for readers who want the complete discussion.
The Recap
- Kevin Scott outlined five ways founders can use AI now.
- Today’s AI systems contain a capability overhang founders can exploit.
- The company linked to the full conversation for further detail.
