NextFin News - On December 24, 2025, Microsoft issued a formal denial regarding rumors that it is rewriting Windows 11 through AI-assisted code generation, following a high-profile LinkedIn post by Galen Hunt, a principal software engineer at Microsoft. Hunt’s post had claimed an ambitious vision: eliminating all C and C++ code within Microsoft by 2030 using a combination of AI and traditional algorithms, lending to a 'one engineer, one month, one million lines of code' development pace. The post implied extensive AI-driven rewriting efforts, sparking outrage and speculation about a radical overhaul of Windows 11’s core architecture, which remains primarily written in C and C++.
Microsoft’s communications team swiftly responded, clarifying that there are no active plans to rewrite Windows 11 in Rust or any other language fully via AI. Frank X. Shaw, a top-level Microsoft communications executive, confirmed to Windows Latest that Hunt’s statements represented a research-oriented exploration rather than a formal product development strategy. Hunt himself amended his LinkedIn post to emphasize that the project is an aspirational research initiative aimed at developing tools to ease migration between programming languages, not a statement of imminent large-scale Windows rewriting.
The controversy emerged from Hunt’s original direct language about eliminating legacy languages and rewriting vast codebases, which many interpreted as signaling a fundamental shift in Microsoft’s approach to Windows. The company maintains that Windows 11’s API level, kernel, and critical components continue to depend heavily on C and C++, with ongoing secure coding improvements, including incremental adoption of Rust and WebView2 integrations. This nuance, largely lost in social media amplification, fueled public concerns over the reliability and security implications of an AI-driven code rewrite.
This incident reflects broader industry dynamics where AI technologies, particularly generative AI, are being explored aggressively for software development automation. Microsoft, amid its leadership in AI through investments in OpenAI and its own AI initiatives, is actively researching tools to automate code migration, refactoring, and synthesis. However, practical challenges to wholesale rewriting of a complex OS kernel and billions of lines of legacy code remain formidable, including issues around testing, security, performance, and backward compatibility.
Data from Microsoft's publicly available codebase metrics estimate that Windows and related core products comprise hundreds of millions of lines of C and C++ code developed over decades. AI assistance in code migration could theoretically accelerate modernization but rewriting core systems requires rigorous validation, which typically spans multiple years. Microsoft’s denial signals a deliberate cautious stance to balance AI experimentation with maintaining enterprise-grade software integrity and user trust.
The incident also highlights the communications risk when senior engineers share exploratory ideas publicly without full corporate contextual framing, notably within the context of U.S. President Donald Trump's administration emphasizing technological leadership and cybersecurity at the national level. Stakeholders including enterprise customers, security experts, and developers are closely monitoring how AI-enabled software engineering evolves without compromising stability.
Looking forward, Microsoft is expected to continue augmenting its Windows development with AI-powered tools aimed at incremental improvements rather than radical rewrites. The company’s pathway likely involves hybrid approaches combining Rust adoption for new components to enhance security, while preserving and gradually refactoring legacy C/C++ code. This balanced strategy mitigates risk while leveraging AI’s potential to transform software engineering efficiency.
In summary, the viral LinkedIn post controversy and Microsoft's clarification underscore the complex interplay between AI innovation and legacy system modernization within large tech firms. While AI holds promise to revolutionize software development, mature enterprises remain prudent, focusing on research projects and incremental adoption rather than sweeping AI-powered refactoring that could destabilize critical infrastructure.
