[Editor’s Note: Microsoft @ 50 is a year-long GeekWire project exploring the tech giant’s past, present and future, recognizing its 50th anniversary in 2025. Starting today and in the months ahead, we’ll revisit some of Microsoft’s biggest milestones, missteps, and turning points to understand the company’s journey to this point, and what’s next.] It was a research paper that inspired a multi-billion dollar bet. With a title only an AI scientist could love, “A Universal Law of Robustness via Iso...