Tech companies, once again, are trying to do publishing. ‹ Literary Hub

Two technology behemoths recently announced that they’re moving into print, and while headlines about a company pivoting to print is a refreshing change of pace, forgive me if I don’t hold my breath. More books are always good in theory, but I can’t help but think that I’ve seen this movie before.

The biggest news is that Microsoft announced a new imprint called 8080 Books, named after a famous computer chip, which will publish books on science, tech, and business, and will be distributed by Ingram.

8080’s first offering is coming from inside the building: Microsoft’s Deputy Chief Technology Officer Sam Shillace wrote a book called No Prize for Pessimism, about business and the computers that do business. Shillace is the guy who co-invented Google Docs, which is a product I use often, though I don’t love the little AI dongle that’s recently gargoyled itself to the toolbar. I never like an uninvited sword of Damocles in my place of work.

On their website, 8080’s leaders—Microsoft Vice President of Communications Strategy Steve Clayton and Microsoft Senior Director of CEO Communications Greg Shaw—ask themselves “Why a book imprint?” and after a lot of throat-clearing and TED Talk-ese about how books are neat and how they “offer human intimacy at scale” (I guess like if you could send a platonic hug to all of your LinkedIn contacts with the push of a button) they say:

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