Qi Lu told press last year that Microsoft had failed to realize the importance of smart speakers. The former AI head was influential in Cortana’s creation, and the digital assistant’s new boss seems to agree with him. Speaking to ZDNet, Cortana head Javier Soltero admitted, “this new market around ambient devices in the home has been shaped differently when we expected.”Soltero said that while Microsoft saw the emerging smart-speaker market, it didn’t jump on it quickly. Essentially, Microsoft will use Cortana’s built-in functionality to aid users tasks, rather than control their home or other third-party integrations. However, it doesn’t mean Microsoft will abandon smart home functionality entirely.