Why Are Huge Tech Companies Getting Into the Book Business?

Do they want to help writers or destroy them?

I never expected Microsoft to enter the book business. But on November 18, this huge tech company quietly announced that it is now a publisher. But there was an interesting twist. Microsoft is “not currently accepting unsolicited manuscripts.” Let’s be totally fair. Nobody at Microsoft claims that it plans to replace human writers with AI slop. But this company has invested a staggering $13 billion in AI—it’s their top priority as a corporation. So what you do think their goals are in the book business? If you’re looking for a clue, I note that Microsoft’s publishing arm is called 8080…

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