European Union officials have announced preliminary findings that accuse Microsoft of antitrust violations and could cost the company $211 Billion.
The tech giant is under scrutiny for allegedly integrating its Teams application with Microsoft Office and Microsoft 365, a move that may breach EU competition laws.
A competitor, Slack, alleges that Microsoft gave their rival Teams an illegal advantage by bundling it with Office to create an unfair ‘playing field’.
Microsoft has already announced that Teams would be unbundled from Office for EU customers. In April 2024 they extended that to all global markets. Opponents will presumably argue that the damage has already been done.
Should these initial assessments be confirmed, Microsoft could face severe repercussions, including a penalty that might amount to as much as 10% of its global revenue.
Apple is also accused of breaching the Digital Markets Act, an EU law.
This story is still unfolding, and further updates are expected as the investigation progresses into Microsoft’s business practices within the European Union. Doubtless Microsoft will fight hard against both the charge itself and the huge fine.