Microsoft’s push to turn its artificial intelligence bets into revenue is running into a harder reality: sales teams are struggling to hit ambitious targets, and internal expectations are being reset.

Artificial intelligence has fueled a multi-trillion-dollar stock market surge over the past few years, propelling companies like Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) and Nvidia (NASDAQ:NVDA) to record valuations.

A man looks at his phone in front of the Microsoft logo during the 2025 Mobile World Congress (MWC) in Barcelona, Spain, March 3, 2025. REUTERS/Albert Gea Dec 3 (Reuters) - Microsoft on Wednesday ...

Sales of enterprise software through hyperscale cloud marketplaces hosted by the likes of Amazon Web Services (AWS), Microsoft and Google are expected to top $163bn by 2030, having hit $30bn in 2024.