Microsoft Corp. (MSFT.O) has announced plans to take additional measures to address the European Union’s antitrust concerns related to its chat and video app, Teams, which is bundled with its Office product suite. The move comes amidst an ongoing EU investigation and potential charges.
The European Commission initiated the investigation last year following a 2020 complaint from Slack, a workspace messaging app owned by Salesforce Inc. (CRM.N), which accused Microsoft of anti-competitive practices by tying Teams with Office.
In response to the investigation, Microsoft announced in April that it would sell Teams separately from Office globally. This decision followed an earlier unbundling of the products in Europe in an effort to preempt a potential EU antitrust fine.
However, Microsoft President Brad Smith indicated that the company is prepared to take further steps. “I expect we will take additional steps,” Smith told reporters after meeting with EU antitrust chief Margrethe Vestager in Brussels. “On Teams, we have done a lot of work, but our work isn’t yet done. Microsoft is committed to finding a resolution to regulators’ concerns.”
Smith acknowledged the possibility of receiving a statement of objections or a charge sheet from the EU competition enforcer but emphasized that this would not be an irreversible step in the process.
Microsoft’s proactive approach underscores its commitment to resolving regulatory issues and ensuring compliance with EU competition laws.




Leave a Reply