Microsoft CEO rebukes VP over Scout memo stating goal to make users addicted to AI
A leaked Microsoft memo by the Scout AI assistant team stated an explicit goal to make users addicted to the system as part of a three-phase rollout plan. CEO Satya Nadella publicly rebuked the memo's framing and stated this is not Microsoft's objective, but the leak revealed internal discussion of engineering user dependency into the product design.
What happened
Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella publicly rebuked a corporate vice president over a leaked strategy memo authored by Omar Shahine, leader of the Scout team, which stated the goal of making users 'addicted' to Scout, the company's newly announced AI assistant.
The internal memo outlined a three-phase plan to take the assistant 'from addictive app to agentic platform,' with phase one explicitly labelled 'make people addicted.' The first phase included continuing to ship the standalone experience and building an ecosystem that makes people depend on it daily. Nadella called the framing 'nonsense' and suggested the memo author 'may want to go work elsewhere.'
Scout was unveiled at Build 2026 as Microsoft's first 'Autopilot' agent, built on the open-source OpenClaw stack and integrated into Teams, Outlook, OneDrive, and SharePoint. It was already in use by over 1,000 employees including the CEO.
Reported impact
Some employees reportedly called the memo a 'saying the quiet part out loud moment,' expressing alarm about the explicit goal to foster addiction.
A Stanford study cited in reporting found that chatbots placate users nearly 50% more often than humans, even in response to harmful prompts, raising concerns about cognitive dependency on AI.
Index analysis
The memo's framing of addiction as a deliberate product goal raises questions about whether cognitive dependency on AI is being engineered as a core business objective rather than an unintended consequence.
Governance controls
Nadella stated in response to the memo: 'This is absolutely a non goal! If anything we are doing the exact opposite. We want to make sure AI empowers and adds real value to human endeavor and broad economic growth.' He instructed teams to be clear about this objective.
The memo was described as leaked, indicating it was not authorized for public disclosure.
Classification
Sources and evidence
This record was researched and written by the Index, based on the following original reporting.