Microsoft down 4%: columnist says buy on Azure, Copilot

The column's case rests on two parts of Microsoft's business rather than on a new product launch. Azure, which the column describes as a hyperscaler platform (a large cloud provider), is seeing demand so strong it has exceeded the capacity Microsoft can currently provide, and the column says new data center capacity is being monetized right away.

The second part is distribution. Because millions of businesses already use Microsoft 365, the column argues Microsoft can add AI features to familiar products instead of persuading customers to replace their technology stack. The reported traction cited is Microsoft 365 Copilot surpassing 30 million paid seats by the end of fiscal 2026, with Copilot conversations per user nearly doubling year over year in the fourth quarter.

The column frames the 4% pullback from the 52-week high as a chance to look past short-term price swings, noting that Microsoft 365, commercial cloud services, LinkedIn and Dynamics 365 all grew in the latest results. Whether the pullback proves to be an opportunity is the columnist's opinion rather than a reported outcome.