Microsoft has shut down its employee library and reduced access to several paid digital news subscriptions as part of a companywide shift toward what it describes as an “AI-powered learning experience,” according to reporting by The Verge, a move that has sparked frustration among staff and drawn criticism from longtime partners. The library, previously housed in Building 92 on Microsoft’s Redmond campus, has been closed under a transition to the company’s internal Skilling Hub, with an internal FAQ stating the space was shut “as part of Microsoft’s move toward a more modern, connected learning experience through the Skilling Hub,” while acknowledging that “we know this change affects a space many people valued.”
In addition to the physical closure, employees told The Verge that they have lost access to digital checkouts of business books and that company-paid subscriptions to several publications have not been renewed, including The Information and the Strategic News Service (SNS), which had provided global reports to Microsoft employees for more than two decades. Microsoft confirmed the decision to end these subscriptions, saying the move was likewise “part of Microsoft’s shift to a more modern, AI-powered learning experience through the Skilling Hub,” though details about how the AI-focused system will replace traditional resources remain unclear.
The changes have fueled internal criticism, with some employees describing the transition as vague and poorly explained, and others lamenting the loss of curated, in-depth reading materials in favor of AI-driven tools. The closure also effectively ends a long chapter in the company’s internal knowledge culture, with the Microsoft Library having served as a central resource for staff across business, technology, and global affairs for years, both in physical form and digitally.
An executive at SNS, whose service was cut as part of the changes, publicly criticized Microsoft’s decision, with SNS chief operating officer Berit Anderson telling The Verge, “Technology’s future is shaped by flows of power, money, innovation, and people — none of which are predictable based on LLMs’ probabilistic regurgitation of old information,” adding, “We look forward to welcoming Microsoft back into the SNS community whenever they decide they would like to return.”