11 ms·

There is a serious threat to Microsoft here, if everyone starts using AI for generating and updating Office docs. At some point Office will become just a viewer

by petilon 15d ago

There is a serious threat to Microsoft here, if everyone starts using AI for generating and updating Office docs. At some point Office will become just a viewer.

jags-v 15d ago
Haven't used MicrosoftOffice in the past 7 years.
trueno 15d ago
im stoked for that outcome, standard document tooling should not live behind subscription models anymore. i dont care that microsoft spent zillions bankrolling education systems and companies to fall into this cultural lock in over the decades whether they like it or not spreadsheets word docs etc are just ubiquitous parts of existing in society at this point you're gonna need to reach for these tools eventually just to apply for jobs or do homework
- tcfhgj 6d ago
  Need is a bit strong, you can absolutely apply and do homework without, e.g. using Typst or Latex or whatever else is out there
- watwut 15d ago
  You assume tokens will be free after these get their monopoly positions? Actual libre office is actual open source running on weak hardware. Truly free. And I suspect we will look back at MS with nostalgia once Altman and Musk get their ai imperiums.
dist-epoch 15d ago
Don't worry, they are ahead of this. Satya said some time ago that they expect soon to have more agents using Microsoft software than humans, and are working on transitioning their focus from serving humans to serving agents. https://www.news18.com/business/satya-nadella-announces-microsofts-move-to-ai-agent-pricing-model-ws-l-9722868.html https://www.news18.com/business/satya-nadella-announces-micr...
- kelvinjps10 15d ago
  But why would openai and antrhopic pay them if they already libreoffice for free and why would users pay if they already have an Ai subscription
- petilon 15d ago
  So they will switch to per-agent pricing instead of per-user. Fine, but that doesn't change the fact that Microsoft Office will become a just bunch of viewers as far as human usage is concerned. As far as generating Office documents, you can do that without using any Microsoft code.
  - cromka 15d ago
    ... and without the license, crucially!
  - yakz 15d ago
    This is one that's already true and "everyone" hasn't figured it out yet. But you don't really even need Office as a viewer, PDF is fine (for printable/portable fixed-layout) or just HTML. "Office" is a product that doesn't need to exist anymore, at least for the core apps. For day-to-day office work, you probably shouldn't be using those legacy apps, you should be reviewing portable document formats and asking an agent to make the revisions that you want.
  - dist-epoch 15d ago
    > For Microsoft, this shift means products like M365 will act as the foundational layer where AI agents operate. Users will still need places to store documents, manage projects, search files, and track workflows They bet on the online office suite (M365).
- airstrafer 15d ago
  This sentiment is also why Microsoft crushed earnings this quarter. Their AI play is to create corpo-slop AI middleware, which sits between AI models and enterprise applications. Sure, others can go and build harnesses which can generate MS office documents, but MS is already doing it, and conveniently such harnesses will come with everyone's existing Microsoft 365 subscription. The analogy is IBM. Just like IBM helped every old-money corporation on the planet figure out the whole "computers" thing 50 years ago, MS will help everyone solve the "AI" thing. The software will suck and will not really innovate, but it will make a ton of money
fg137 15d ago
I have not created or read any Word document for a very long time. I only create PowerPoint presentations a few times a year for work, which could be easily replaced with PowerPoint online or Google Slides or even just some markdown files. But I have a license for the entire office 365 including Copilot premium. Guess why?
- articulatepang 15d ago
  For Excel?
  - kennywinker 15d ago
    I think they meant to view documents.
pmontra 15d ago
If you don't have to edit files or you are not supposed to, they should send you a PDF, unless it's an Excel. Excel is a much better viewer for itself because of many reasons (explore the formula, sort, filter) including that usually its sheets are not built to fit a particular page format.
Schlagbohrer 15d ago
Likewise with PDF editing via AI. Way nicer than having to pay Adobe or some other shady software vendor for PDF editing ability.

by petilon 15d ago

There is a serious threat to Microsoft here, if everyone starts using AI for generating and updating Office docs. At some point Office will become just a viewer.

jags-v 15d ago

Haven't used MicrosoftOffice in the past 7 years.

trueno 15d ago

im stoked for that outcome, standard document tooling should not live behind subscription models anymore. i dont care that microsoft spent zillions bankrolling education systems and companies to fall into this cultural lock in over the decades whether they like it or not spreadsheets word docs etc are just ubiquitous parts of existing in society at this point you're gonna need to reach for these tools eventually just to apply for jobs or do homework

tcfhgj 6d ago
Need is a bit strong, you can absolutely apply and do homework without, e.g. using Typst or Latex or whatever else is out there
watwut 15d ago
You assume tokens will be free after these get their monopoly positions? Actual libre office is actual open source running on weak hardware. Truly free. And I suspect we will look back at MS with nostalgia once Altman and Musk get their ai imperiums.

dist-epoch 15d ago

Don't worry, they are ahead of this. Satya said some time ago that they expect soon to have more agents using Microsoft software than humans, and are working on transitioning their focus from serving humans to serving agents. https://www.news18.com/business/satya-nadella-announces-microsofts-move-to-ai-agent-pricing-model-ws-l-9722868.html https://www.news18.com/business/satya-nadella-announces-micr...

kelvinjps10 15d ago
But why would openai and antrhopic pay them if they already libreoffice for free and why would users pay if they already have an Ai subscription
petilon 15d ago
So they will switch to per-agent pricing instead of per-user. Fine, but that doesn't change the fact that Microsoft Office will become a just bunch of viewers as far as human usage is concerned. As far as generating Office documents, you can do that without using any Microsoft code.
- cromka 15d ago
  ... and without the license, crucially!
- yakz 15d ago
  This is one that's already true and "everyone" hasn't figured it out yet. But you don't really even need Office as a viewer, PDF is fine (for printable/portable fixed-layout) or just HTML. "Office" is a product that doesn't need to exist anymore, at least for the core apps. For day-to-day office work, you probably shouldn't be using those legacy apps, you should be reviewing portable document formats and asking an agent to make the revisions that you want.
- dist-epoch 15d ago
  > For Microsoft, this shift means products like M365 will act as the foundational layer where AI agents operate. Users will still need places to store documents, manage projects, search files, and track workflows They bet on the online office suite (M365).
airstrafer 15d ago
This sentiment is also why Microsoft crushed earnings this quarter. Their AI play is to create corpo-slop AI middleware, which sits between AI models and enterprise applications. Sure, others can go and build harnesses which can generate MS office documents, but MS is already doing it, and conveniently such harnesses will come with everyone's existing Microsoft 365 subscription. The analogy is IBM. Just like IBM helped every old-money corporation on the planet figure out the whole "computers" thing 50 years ago, MS will help everyone solve the "AI" thing. The software will suck and will not really innovate, but it will make a ton of money

fg137 15d ago

I have not created or read any Word document for a very long time. I only create PowerPoint presentations a few times a year for work, which could be easily replaced with PowerPoint online or Google Slides or even just some markdown files. But I have a license for the entire office 365 including Copilot premium. Guess why?

articulatepang 15d ago
For Excel?
- kennywinker 15d ago
  I think they meant to view documents.

pmontra 15d ago

If you don't have to edit files or you are not supposed to, they should send you a PDF, unless it's an Excel. Excel is a much better viewer for itself because of many reasons (explore the formula, sort, filter) including that usually its sheets are not built to fit a particular page format.

Schlagbohrer 15d ago

Likewise with PDF editing via AI. Way nicer than having to pay Adobe or some other shady software vendor for PDF editing ability.