Understanding Microsoft Solution Partner

Question

Hi,

I'm trying to understand how the new replacement for silver and gold in the microsoft partner center works.

With all the net customer adds, deployments and usage growths I feel like it's either hard or impossible to become solution partner and / or maintain over time.

Is the only alternative for most companies to get the action pack instead ? I though that it was supposed to render the partner process easier, did I read microsoft's communication wrong ?

What's the point of deleting more than half of partners ?

Thanks in advance,

Arnaud