Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella has revealed five GPT-5 prompts that can become a problem if your boss starts to follow them right away. Picture walking into a meeting where your boss already knows what’s on your mind, has mapped out accountability, and is fully briefed on every detail of your project: progress, risks, wins, and setbacks. In such a room, excuses have no place. It sounds like a manager’s dream for productivity, but for team members, it could feel like added pressure.
Nadella has shared a glimpse into how the latest integration of GPT-5 inside Microsoft 365 Copilot is already influencing his daily routine. In a series of posts on X, Nadella highlighted how the new AI capabilities are making it easier for him to prepare for meetings, track projects, and stay on top of business priorities.
“It’s been a few weeks since we brought GPT-5 to Microsoft 365 Copilot, and it’s quickly become part of my everyday workflow,” Nadella wrote. “It’s adding a new layer of intelligence spanning all my apps.”
Nadella then listed five example prompts he regularly uses with Copilot. The first allows him to ask the system to scan through past interactions with a person and suggest what’s most likely to be on their mind ahead of the next meeting. The second generates project updates by pulling together emails, chats, and meeting notes, while also summarising KPIs against targets, risks, competitive developments, and even tough questions he should be ready to answer.
Another prompt he highlighted focuses on accountability. By asking Copilot whether the company is on track for a product launch, he gets a status report based on engineering progress, pilot program results, and potential risks, along with a probability assessment. A fourth prompt analyses his calendar and emails from the past month to break down where his time has been spent, grouping projects into buckets with percentage splits.
Finally, he shared how Copilot can prepare him for specific meetings by reviewing a selected email in the context of past team and manager discussions.
Here are the 5 prompts shared by Nadella:
1) Based on my prior interactions with [/person], give me 5 things likely top of mind for our next meeting.
2) Draft a project update based on emails, chats, and all meetings in [/series]: KPIs vs. targets, wins/losses, risks, competitive moves, plus likely tough questions and answers.
3) Are we on track for the [Product] launch in November? Check eng progress, pilot program results, risks. Give me a probability.
4) Review my calendar and email from the last month and create 5 to 7 buckets for projects I spend most time on, with % of time spent and short descriptions.
5) Review [/select email] + prep me for the next meeting in [/series], based on past manager and team discussions.
Nadella’s posts offer a rare look at how a top executive is using generative AI to manage time and information overload. For Microsoft, it is also a strong endorsement of how deeply GPT-5 can embed itself into workplace tools. While AI has already been assisting with tasks like writing and summarising, these new workflows suggest a shift towards more predictive, context-aware support that blends personal history with real-time data.
As Copilot evolves, Nadella’s public examples indicate that AI is not just about efficiency but about preparing leaders for sharper decision-making. The message is clear: the future of work will increasingly involve having an AI that knows your schedule, your priorities, and even the questions you’re most likely to face.
