Executive TL;DR

• VS Code’s Co-Pilot inserts ‘Co-Authored-by’ into commits regardless of usage
• Developers express concerns over the feature’s impact on code integrity and trust
• Microsoft apologizes for the mistake and promises to revert the default setting

The Buzz Score

The Internet’s Verdict: 70% Hyped, 30% Skeptical

Developer Backlash

Developers are upset about the feature, with one saying:

Git commits are legal and technical records. Falsifying who authored a piece of code just to pump up AI usage stats is a huge breach of trust and it is disappointing to see Microsoft prioritize branding over the integrity of the developer’s log.

Another developer notes:

This feels like the modern version of ‘Sent from my iPhone’ but much more invasive.

Microsoft’s Response

A Microsoft representative apologized for the mistake, stating:

I am the person who approved this PR and would like to acknowledge and apologize for the mistake of turning this feature on by default without sufficient upfront validation.

Focus Keyword: VS Code