Microsoft has ignited a firestorm of criticism from its vast user base after rebranding its legendary Office software suite. The company, which first launched the package including Word, Excel, and PowerPoint in 1990, has now integrated it with its AI tool and renamed it the Microsoft 365 Copilot app.
A Sudden Change for 400 Million Users
Last week, the software's 400 million global users were greeted with a pop-up dialogue box announcing the change. The message read: "Welcome to the Microsoft 365 Copilot app. The Microsoft 365 Copilot app (formerly Office) lets you create, share and collaborate all in one place with your favourite apps now including Copilot." This follows a previous rebranding in 2020 when 'Office' became 'Microsoft 365'.
The AI component, Copilot, was established in 2023 as a successor to Cortana. It functions as an AI chatbot designed to boost productivity by generating content and automating routine tasks for users.
Industry and User Reaction: "Brand Destruction"
The swift and negative reaction was led by figures within the tech community. Software creator and entrepreneur Peter Dedene was among the first to voice his dismay, stating: "RIP MS Office. RIP Microsoft 365. Now it's 'Microsoft 365 Copilot'." He sarcastically added, "We're one rebrand away from Excel being a prompt box that says 'trust me bro, the math checks out'."
On social media platform X, the consensus was largely critical. One user lamented, "Microsoft Office is one of the most recognisable brands in the world. This is worse than renaming Twitter to X." Another pointed out that the brand dilution began earlier, commenting, "The brand destruction actually happened back in 2020 when they renamed Office to 'Microsoft 365'."
A particularly resonant critique highlighted the strategic shift, noting: "They spent decades building the most recognisable brand in productivity only to hide it behind a new AI label! It is a clear signal that they want to be seen as an AI company first and a software suite second."
Microsoft's Official Stance and Clarification
In response to the backlash, Microsoft issued a statement explaining the rationale. "The Microsoft 365 (Office) app is now called the Microsoft 365 Copilot app across web, mobile, and Windows," the company said. "The new app name and icon reflects the integration of Copilot within the Microsoft 365 app."
Microsoft's Senior Director of Marketing for Microsoft 365, Gareth Oystryk, sought to clarify the scope of the change. "We have not made any recent naming changes to our Office apps," he stated. "Word, Excel, and PowerPoint, the Office apps within the Microsoft 365 productivity suite, remain unchanged." He explained that only the central "hub" app was renamed, first in November 2022 to Microsoft 365 and then in January 2025 to Microsoft 365 Copilot.
The company has advised existing users that the change should be visible on all platforms. For those not seeing it, Microsoft recommends connecting to the internet and restarting the application.
