Satya Nadella’s experimental culture loses its home as Microsoft shuts its maker lab

Microsoft is shutting down The Garage, its 17-year-old innovation lab and maker space program that ran the company’s Global Hackathon. Some Garage spaces across 15 regions, including India, could close from October 23. CEO Satya Nadella regularly attended its hackathons, which produced the Xbox Adaptive Controller and Seeing AI. Employees link the closure to Microsoft’s wider cost cuts as it spends heavily on AI infrastructure. Microsoft is shutting down The Garage, its 17-year-old innovation lab and maker space program that ran the company’s Global Hackathon. Some Garage spaces across 15 regions, including India, could close from October 23. CEO Satya Nadella regularly attended its hackathons, which produced the Xbox Adaptive Controller and Seeing AI. Employees link the closure to Microsoft’s wider cost cuts as it spends heavily on AI infrastructure.