Microsoft Office renamed to “Microsoft 365 Copilot app” • Hacker News Board

Re: Microsoft Office renamed to “Microsoft 365 Copilot app”

#161

Post by tavavex » Mon, Jan 05, 2026, 6:14 PM UTC

sa-code wrote: post #138

In comparison, "Google Docs" is simpler and not rage inducing. 365 is a terrible name. Could you explain to your grandma what a 365 is? Likely not, and I’m not looking forward to that conversation. This is disappointing stuff

> Could you explain to your grandma what a 365 is?

Microsoft Office - Okay, this is a bundle of software relating to office work, released by Microsoft. Makes sense!

Microsoft Office 365 - This is also office software by Microsoft, but the 365 indicates it's a subscription service, because you're paying for it 365 days a year or something. This is contrasted to normal non-365 Office.

Microsoft 365 - So... This is something by Microsoft, that is also a subscription service? Okay...

Microsoft 365 Copilot - Oh! Copilot! Everyone knows Copilot, right? It's like, their one and only remaining important trademark, everyone has got to know what it means with no further explanation. So, it just makes sense, this is a Microsoft subscription service where you pay for this "Copilot", right?

Re: Microsoft Office renamed to “Microsoft 365 Copilot app”

#162

Post by shafmanzur » Mon, Jan 05, 2026, 6:18 PM UTC

Microslop

Re: Microsoft Office renamed to “Microsoft 365 Copilot app”

#163

Post by bigyabai » Mon, Jan 05, 2026, 6:24 PM UTC

pjmlp wrote: post #126

vips7L wrote: post #109

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I guess I haven’t updated my terminal in a while. I haven’t seen the forced ai there yet.

Here, https://devblogs.microsoft.com/commandline/github-copilot-in...

But I thought Microsoft was a forward-thinking innovator!

Re: Microsoft Office renamed to “Microsoft 365 Copilot app”

#164

Post by tracker1 » Mon, Jan 05, 2026, 6:32 PM UTC

This is now worse than the "Microsoft.Net" effort to use ".Net" with everything in Microsoft as a brand term (not just the dev tooling)... it's effectively become meaningless.

Re: Microsoft Office renamed to “Microsoft 365 Copilot app”

#165

Post by tracker1 » Mon, Jan 05, 2026, 6:37 PM UTC

siim_osur wrote: post #79

j-kent wrote: post #73

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I hope every publication uses Microsoft Copilot (formerly Office) for years, like they did for X (formerly Twitter).

Some of us are likely never going to stop referring to it as twitter. X, may as well be 3 Xs.

I still call it Twitter... I just don't think "X" works nearly as well in conversation.

Re: Microsoft Office renamed to “Microsoft 365 Copilot app”

#166

Post by moralestapia » Mon, Jan 05, 2026, 6:38 PM UTC

drcongo wrote: post #65

ulrikrasmussen wrote: post #56

I genuinely thought this was a joke when I saw the headline, and I had to double check the domain name to verify that this wasn't a parody. Apart from being absolutely abysmal marketing, the front page alone is wildly inconsistent: * "Welcome to Microsoft 365 Copilot" * "The Microsoft 365 Copilot app (formerly Office) [...]" * "Microsoft 365 (formerly Microsoft Office 365) is a subscription service [...]" Which is it…

Microsoft™ 365™ Copilot™ App™ Home™ Business™ Edition™ Premium™

(formerly Office)

Re: Microsoft Office renamed to “Microsoft 365 Copilot app”

#167

Post by tracker1 » Mon, Jan 05, 2026, 6:39 PM UTC

deltoidmaximus wrote: post #98

ulrikrasmussen wrote: post #56

I genuinely thought this was a joke when I saw the headline, and I had to double check the domain name to verify that this wasn't a parody. Apart from being absolutely abysmal marketing, the front page alone is wildly inconsistent: * "Welcome to Microsoft 365 Copilot" * "The Microsoft 365 Copilot app (formerly Office) [...]" * "Microsoft 365 (formerly Microsoft Office 365) is a subscription service [...]" Which is it…

> I think Microsoft delegated all marketing decisions to AI. Not even joking. I actually think AI would have done a better job of this. And Microsoft being atrocious at branding predates AI mass adoption by about 2 decades, arguably more.

Microsoft used to just name a lot of things for what they did... to a point where it was almost confusing by itself. "Microsoft SQL Server" being a prominent example.

Though, the everything .Net around 2000 was nearly as bad as this CoPilot rename.

Re: Microsoft Office renamed to “Microsoft 365 Copilot app”

#168

Post by moralestapia » Mon, Jan 05, 2026, 6:39 PM UTC

sa-code wrote: post #138

In comparison, "Google Docs" is simpler and not rage inducing. 365 is a terrible name. Could you explain to your grandma what a 365 is? Likely not, and I’m not looking forward to that conversation. This is disappointing stuff

Because it will make you turn 365 degrees and walk away.

Re: Microsoft Office renamed to “Microsoft 365 Copilot app”

#169

Post by otabdeveloper4 » Mon, Jan 05, 2026, 6:39 PM UTC

Phemist wrote: post #143

vivzkestrel wrote: post #131

Earlier quoted context omitted.

2027: microsoft windows 12 renamed to Microsoft AI OS

Microsoft aiOS

No, way too user-friendly and intuitive.

Microsoft Copilot 365 OS is the way to go.

Re: Microsoft Office renamed to “Microsoft 365 Copilot app”

#170

Post by iammjm » Mon, Jan 05, 2026, 6:43 PM UTC

tavavex wrote: post #155

mindcrash wrote: post #70

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Azure Active Directory => Microsoft Entra ID (Formerly Azure Active Directory) https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/security/business/identity-a... And yes, the latter is the complete name as seen on the web page...

What's the point? Did someone in marketing just decide that "Active Directory" is too 90s and must be tossed out based on vibes? Entra ID sounds like something completely unrelated.

Actually "Azure Active Directory" was confusing in the first place, since Active Directory already existed for decades, and Azure Active Directory was not-really it's cloud-equivalent