Microsoft to face antitrust investigation by EU over product bunding of Microsoft Teams
The European Union is set to launch an antitrust investigation against Microsoft following failed discussions to address Slack’s complaint of unfair integration, with potential fines of up to 10% of Microsoft’s global turnover.
Microsoft is facing a potential antitrust investigation by the European Union after discussions on resolving concerns raised by Slack’s complaint fell through. In 2020, Slack accused Microsoft of unfair integration by offering its Teams app with Office 365 at no additional cost. The European Commission aims to promote competition and consumer choice by considering price differentiation between Office with Teams and Office without the app. Microsoft initiated talks with the Commission last year but failed to meet their expectations for a significant price reduction. Breaching EU antitrust rules could lead to substantial fines – 10% of the company’s global turnover, with Microsoft already having been fined $2.4 billion in the past decade for similar violations.