Microsoft just announced a publishing imprint - https://blogs.microsoft.com/blog/2024/11/18/8080-books-an-imprint-of-microsoft-launches-offering-thought-leadership-titles-spanning-technology-business-and-society/, and https://unlocked.microsoft.com/8080-books/. Stripe has had an imprint for some time now - https://press.stripe.com/.
I saw someone saying that maybe this was a first step into trying to own content creation, for training of LLMs, but I don't believe that. MS had Microsoft academic graph, and for many years has been in the research data management game, as well as the high performance computing game. I would think that if they wanted to get into scholarly content there would be easier routes than trying to start their own publisher.
They do say
I saw someone saying that maybe this was a first step into trying to own content creation, for training of LLMs, but I don't believe that. MS had Microsoft academic graph, and for many years has been in the research data management game, as well as the high performance computing game. I would think that if they wanted to get into scholarly content there would be easier routes than trying to start their own publisher.
They do say
Technology has quickened the pace of almost every industry except publishing. This means that book-sized writing about tech transformations arrives after conventional wisdom has begun to gel. We don’t have all of the answers, but we know that more important ideas and arguments can travel faster than they do at the moment. Can they travel too fast? Of course, that already happens in abundance, but we seek to strike the right balance.
They also say that
Relevant books service our corporate mission.
I see this as more of a passion project, rather than a strategic entrance into a specific market segment.