People will complain about ads, but when you actually take a look what they are complaining about it is not actually an ad. People just hear a complaint and repeat it without any critical thought.
It's better to instead focus on actual tangible problems and pain points that developers and users are hitting.
https://www.windowslatest.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Sta...
Opera Browser [Promoted]
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https://www.ghacks.net/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/file-explo...
Buy OneDrive for $6.99 a month
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Do you think these aren't ads?
The second I would not consider an ad, but an upsell.
Nothing should appear on a user's screen that doesn't add value for what the user is trying to get done. This is really, really simple. If you are Microsoft, and you are thinking about whether something should appear on the screen, you should be thinking "Does this advance the user's goals?". If you are instead thinking "Does this advance Microsoft's goals?", then you are doing it wrong.
The same applies to automagically configuring everything to use the cloud (good for Microsoft, usually bad for the user). And, as a special case of that, requiring the user to use a cloud-based account to log into their own local computer.
The definition of ad you are using is not the common usage. For example if someone asked if ChatGPT had ads they would most likely say no, despite it upselling the subscription.
I do share some of the complains but I feel like people get way too much upset about miniscule stuff.
I would rather have Microsoft fix the bugs and weird behavior of the Windows Explorer. I got used to it now after a year but would absolutely prefer a smooth experience for such a core feature.