It might seem a tad hypocritical, or at the very least tone-deaf, for tech giant Microsoft (MSFT) to issue a return-to-office (RTO) policy when it is actively working on all manner of tools that allow remote work to happen. But that is just what it is doing, and shareholders seem oddly, if quietly, pleased. Shares ticked up fractionally in Tuesday afternoon’s trading.
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For a while, Microsoft was one of the big holdouts when it came to issuing RTO demands. But that changed with a new memo, that called for a return to the office at least three days a week. But even in this case, the RTO is not the ultimatum that it is in many companies. The rollout has three steps, reports note, starting in February 2026 with the Seattle-area employees. Other offices in the United States will follow, and finally, international employees will be hit. February 23, 2026 is the current expected start date, but firm dates have not yet been established. There are even exemption possibilities, but specifics on exemptions are not yet known.
Perhaps even more interestingly, Microsoft had a blog post from December 2022 that called for more remote work, and how such policies could not only keep employees employed with the company, but also make them more productive. That post is no longer available, instead reportedly redirecting to a post from July 31 about how “…hybrid work created new challenges for employee engagement,” also detailing the impact AI tools can have in fixing those points.
Hitting Tokyo
So we know about Microsoft’s plan to bring Xbox gaming to cars, but what will it bring when playing games in your car actually becomes an option? For answers, we can look to the Tokyo Game Show 2025 event, which will arrive September 25. While game events have fallen off somewhat in recent years, the Tokyo Game Show is still alive and well, and Microsoft will be bringing some of its biggest new propositions. Ninja Gaiden 4 will be playable at the event, and the ROG Xbox Ally and ROG Xbox Ally X will be on hand.
New first-party games, updates to third-party games, and even some hardware will be in attendance. Xbox Asia Senior Director Mena Kato noted, “We know players around the world delight in Japan-inspired content and games developed in Asia, and we can’t wait to connect with players across the globe to show off the incredible talent and creativity behind upcoming games coming to Xbox.”
Is Microsoft a Buy, Hold or Sell?
Turning to Wall Street, analysts have a Strong Buy consensus rating on MSFT stock based on 33 Buys and one Hold assigned in the past three months, as indicated by the graphic below. After a 20.28% rally in its share price over the past year, the average MSFT price target of $623.50 per share implies 24.87% upside potential.
