M365 Copilot vs Claude Cowork with Sharon Weaver

About Show #1034

There's competition in the Office productivity space! Richard chats with Sharon Weaver about her experiences with M365 Copilot and Anthropic's Claude Cowork to improve information worker productivity. Sharon talks about the confusion around all the different copilots in the Microsoft space - including the chat tools, research agents, and more. But when it comes to helping with an Excel spreadsheet, M365 Copilot can't do what Claude Cowork can do. Sharon talks about describing the goals of a spreadsheet to Claude Cowork and having the tool generate the spreadsheet, make corrections, and add formatting. Cowork has similar capabilities for presentations, and with the Connector library, new functionality is being added routinely. There's some competition in the AI productivity space - things are getting interesting!

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Recorded February 24, 2026

Sharon Weaver is the Founder and CEO of Smarter Consulting, a national technology consulting and training practice specializing in Microsoft 365 modernization, AI enablement, governance, cybersecurity strategy, and digital transformation. She is a Microsoft Regional Director, Microsoft MVP, and Microsoft Certified Trainer with advanced certifications in AI and Copilot technologies. Sharon works with public sector, education, nonprofit, and enterprise organizations to design secure, scalable Microsoft 365 environments that improve collaboration, strengthen compliance, and increase return on technology investments. Her approach emphasizes practical architecture, responsible AI adoption, minimal customization, and long-term sustainability. With three decades of experience in software development, solution architecture, and executive advisory services, Sharon bridges the gap between technical implementation and business strategy. She is known for her direct, pragmatic guidance and her ability to translate complex technology decisions into measurable business outcomes. She is a frequent speaker, board contributor, and industry leader within the Microsoft community, and she continues to shape conversations around modern work, AI governance, and secure cloud transformation.

About Show #1034

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