One way the "dump" on a bigger company can work, is when that company sells some kind of bundle. Microsoft can buy a product, throw it into Office 365, and sud

One way the "dump" on a bigger company can work, is when that company sells some kind of bundle. Microsoft can buy a product, throw it into Office 365, and suddenly there is a huge new customer base. Now the product becomes entrenched into workflows, and is one more reason to buy the kitchen sink vs a piecemeal best in breed. People might not buy Office 365 FOR that additional component alone, but they now wont go shopping elsewhere. MS wont raise the price of O365 because of the additional component. As long as you are paying max rate, they know you (or every licensed person) cant actually consume everything in the license. The charge is for the possibility of opening a program, not actual usage. The same probably works for the NYT. They can expand their bundle with more quality offerings, without raising the price, and without expecting people to subscribe ONLY for The Athletic. It does make their bundle more attractive vs competitors.