January 17, 2026 – There used to be a well – known legend at Microsoft’s headquarters in Redmond, Washington State, USA. It was said that the large number of books in the company’s library was so immense that it could “sink” the campus buildings. However, times have changed, and these physical books, periodicals, research reports, and newspapers are now gradually vanishing.
According to reports, starting from November last year, Microsoft began to cut back on the news and research report subscription services used by its employees. Some publishers have already received automatically – sent emails canceling their contracts. In the letter, Microsoft’s supplier management team wrote, “This letter is to formally notify you that Microsoft will not renew the existing contract upon its expiration. We would like to take this opportunity to express our sincere gratitude for the partnership, collaboration, and continuous support during our cooperation.”
Even Strategic News Service (SNS), a company that has been providing global research reports to Microsoft’s 220,000 employees and executives for over 20 years, is no longer on the subscription list. In an email sent to Microsoft employees, the agency stated, “Microsoft has just issued an automatic announcement that all contracts will be terminated. Among them, the SNS global report is probably the most strategically valuable item for you individually.”
Several Microsoft employees revealed that recently, they have been unable to access digital media publications such as The Information. Moreover, they can no longer borrow business – related books in electronic form from the Microsoft library. Although Microsoft used to regularly change its partner publishers in the past, the scale of this adjustment is much larger this time. It seems to be a combination of cost – cutting and efficiency – enhancing measures along with its AI strategy.
Microsoft explained the reason for not renewing the subscriptions in an internal FAQ: “As part of Microsoft’s shift towards a more modern, AI – driven learning experience, which will be provided through the Skilling Hub.”
