I've noticed similar patterns on other popular repos; do you think this could be related to Microsoft's large enterprise user base?

I noticed that too, but isn't it possible that a lot of people are simply interested in the project and actively watching for updates, rather than it being a deliberate strategy?

That's an interesting observation, but have you considered the possibility that a large number of users forked the repository and then also starred it, creating a similar number of watchers?

I've seen similar patterns on other popular repositories, but it might be worth exploring if Microsoft has implemented any unique features or campaigns to encourage both starring and watching.