Microsoft Quietly Retires Contoso and Fabrikam, Introduces ‘Zava’ as Its New AI-Era Demo Brand

Microsoft appears to be ending legacy of two of its longest-running fictional companies, Contoso and Fabrikam (via The Register). Yes, those were made-up “customers” that appeared in countless demos, tutorials, and training materials for decades.

Contoso, the Paris-based mega-manufacturer that always managed to make Microsoft tech look flawless. Whereas, Fabrikam was the go-to example for online retail. Both have been staples since the early 2000s. They evolved with every product cycle, shifting from Windows Server and SQL Server to cloud, digital transformation, and eventually AI.

If you ever come across marketing manager Megan Bowen, you should know that’s it’s also a made up charcter by Microsoft just to flesh out their stories. At this year’s Ignite, Microsoft introduced a new fictional brand, Zava, which a retailer selling something it calls “intelligent athletic apparel.”

Zava has since already appearing across Microsoft’s ecosystem, from GitHub repos to technical documentation. In some places, the brand has expanded into a full-blown home-improvement retailer with realistic customer behavior, seasonal trends, and a detailed product catalog.

In other words, after years of digital transformations and countless demo appearances, Microsoft’s classic fake corporations look like they’ve finally been retired. Zava now steps in as the company’s updated, AI-focused storytelling tool for the next generation of Microsoft products.