Microsoft news recap: working with India’s CBI to raid illegal call centers, Starfield best-selling game in US during September, and more

Jack Wilkinson

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Microsoft news recap is a weekly feature highlighting the top Microsoft news stories of the past week. Sit back, grab some coffee, and enjoy the read!

Satya Nadella’s compensation plummets in 2023: Here’s what’s happening inside Microsoft

Microsoft CEO, Satya Nadella’s total compensation for 2023 saw a decrease to $48.5 million from the previous years’ $54.94 million and $49.85 million. This decline comes in the wake of a decision to freeze the salaries of full-time salaried staff due to a slowdown in revenue growth.

Despite falling short of financial result targets, Nadella exceeded the operational goals, achieving 85.5 percent of the set objectives. The CEO’s compensation, largely performance-based, mirrors the company’s performance, with over 95 percent being performance-based and 70 percent of the cash incentive linked to pre-established financial metrics​.

Microsoft working with CBI to raid illegal call centers in India

Microsoft, alongside Amazon and India’s Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), launched a collaborative effort to combat tech support fraud by conducting multiple criminal raids on illegal call centres in India.

These centres impersonated Microsoft and Amazon customer support, targeting over 2,000 customers primarily in the US, Canada, Germany, Australia, Spain, and the UK. This collaboration aims to create a safer digital environment by sharing actionable intelligence and insights to combat tech support fraud at a larger scale​.

Microsoft introduces hearing aid support in Windows 11, enabling easy communication for all

In a stride towards inclusivity, Microsoft released Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 25977, introducing support for Bluetooth Low Energy Audio-compatible hearing aids.

This feature, currently available on select Windows devices, enables individuals relying on hearing aids to pair them with Windows 11 PCs for easier communication.

Microsoft plans to expand this feature to more PCs and add additional capabilities for hearing aids in future updates, enhancing the audio experience for users​​.

Microsoft's Windows 11 SE desktop wallpaper

Starfield was the best-selling game in the US in September

On the gaming front, Starfield became the best-selling game in the US for September 2023, defying the belief that game subscription services like Xbox Game Pass hurt game sales.

This achievement is notable, especially in a month packed with major game releases like Mortal Kombat 1, Payday 3, and NBA 2K24. Starfield’s success underscores the robust performance of Microsoft’s gaming segment, even when the game was available on Xbox Game Pass from day one​​.

That’s it for this week. We will be back next week with more Microsoft news.