Last year, we heard that Microsoft could be subject to an antitrust investigation by the European Commission (EC) due to a complaint filed by Slack regarding Teams. Now, a new report claims that’s definitely happening and the Redmond tech giant is facing regular scrutiny soon.
A Politico report notes that multiple EC sources have confirmed that Microsoft will soon face an antitrust investigation over its bundling of Teams with its other Microsoft 365 software. While the details are currently unclear, the regulator is reportedly planning a “statement of objections” about how Microsoft unfairly treats its competition. The EC spokesperson also confirmed that a review of the investigation is ongoing.
For those unfamiliar, the investigation stems from a 2020 complaint filed by Slack that alleged Microsoft hid the “true cost” from enterprise customers when it bundled Teams with Microsoft 365 products and forces to install. Machines At the time, it urged the regulator to force Microsoft to remove Teams from its Microsoft 365 suite and offer it separately at “fair” commercial prices. The EC has already sent questionnaires to the concerned parties to gain more insight into the matter.
Needless to say, this is not a good time for Microsoft to face another antitrust investigation. The company is already under prolonged scrutiny from some regulators over its ongoing $69 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard.
Source: Politics
