Something interesting I've noticed teaching is Gen Z just does not use Microsoft Word, period. When you ask them to submit .doc files they're all converting them from Google Docs or Pages.

People saying "this is obviously because Google Docs is better" are simply revealing that most of their word processing consists of shuffling five page memos around a team of a dozen people over and over

Have you tried creating a footnote in Google Docs? Your computer catches on fire.

People referring to me as a "Harvard professor" as a result of this thread" please send a printout of the tweet, with the "Harvard professor" part underlined or highlighted, to Hiring Committee, Harvard Yard, Cambridge MA 02138

@JakeAnbinder For folks not in college (so middle school, high school) do you know how much Office costs right now? Just checking

@JakeAnbinder It's hard to lose your work with Google Docs. For me that's always been the biggest advantage. To this day I still lose the occasional MS file - even with compulsive saves.

@JakeAnbinder Wait. Do you have to be a student there for this?

@JakeAnbinder I’d like to offer a rebuttal, if I may: Microsoft Office used to be free when I was a schoolboy and my family could have never afforded to send me to Harvard, it’s definitely a cost thing

@JakeAnbinder It absolutely is a cost thing because people develop habits about where they create documents before they go to Harvard. And thus the free document processing tools are what they're used to using.... So they continue using it rather than trying to learn a new tool.

@JakeAnbinder I forgot that everyone goes to Harvard.

@JakeAnbinder It could be a cost thing but far down-river. Did their high schools give them Office for free? Middle schools? Did they have access to it during summer breaks? Also, as someone who went to a non-Harvard college: Getting access to office was **PAIIINFUL** even if it cost no money

@JakeAnbinder ‘Harvard gives you it for free’ Lol imagine typing that with hundreds of thousands of eyeballs on your tweet. Amazing

@JakeAnbinder I love how no one in the comments can read. "My students never use word. (...) It can't be the cost, cause harvard gives it out for free" "Don't you know we're not all at harvard???" 1. Duuuuh 2. Not what he said 3. Harvardbros are all about exclusivity, this is the opposite

@JakeAnbinder How many years prior to attending Harvard do students get Office for free?

@JakeAnbinder I've been in condition of receiving a free Office license and still not made use of it because it felt like a pointless hassle. Why install a large package and wrangle with licensing when I have an equivalent tool in my browser for free?

@JakeAnbinder Colleges pay for Office yes - but not elementary/middle/high schools - so that’s what, almost 10 years of learning to use google docs

@JakeAnbinder Docs automatically saves like, every second; even with word's "autosave" function i can't tell you how many times i have lost progress.

@JakeAnbinder IMHO, it’s bc Google has made major headway in K-12 education… largely because it’s seen as being “free” to districts (it’s not). M365 & Windows machines have a higher price tag, BUT you get what you pay for, & future dividends. Privacy/data security is a big topic here, too.