Microsoft will stop forcing customers of its popular office software to automatically install its Teams video conferencing and messaging app on their devices, a move designed to stave off an official antitrust investigation by European Union regulators. In.
The US tech giant has made the concession to avoid a formal investigation, two people with direct knowledge of the decision said, following a 2020 complaint by rival Slack that claimed Microsoft’s practice of bundling two services together was anti-competitive.
These people said that, in the future, when companies buy Office, they can do it with or without Teams if they want, but the mechanism on how to do that is unclear.
The people stressed that talks were still ongoing and a deal was not certain.
The move is part of an attempt by Microsoft to avoid a legal battle with the European Commission, its first antitrust probe in more than a decade, that has proved hurtful in the past.
In 2008, the Commission accused Microsoft of taking advantage of its dominant position to push users to download its Internet Explorer browser bundled with Windows at the expense of rivals. The company settled with the Commission and offered users a choice of browsers, but in 2013 the European Union fined the company 561 million for failing to honor the promise.
It’s unclear whether the tech giant’s offer regarding Teams will be enough to address regulators’ concerns. Slack, which has since been acquired by Salesforce, has asked EU authorities to force Microsoft to sell Teams separately from its Office software.
At the time, David Shelhage, Slack’s general counsel, said: “We are asking the EU to be a neutral referee, to investigate facts and enforce the law.”
The Slack complaint comes at a time when the trend of working from home is on the rise. Apps like Teams and Slack exploded in use during the peak of the coronavirus pandemic, creating a multibillion-dollar opportunity and users increasingly using tools that allowed for remote working.
Microsoft said: “We are mindful of our responsibilities as a leading technology company in the European Union. We continue to cooperate with the Commission in the investigation and are open to practical solutions that address its concerns and protect customers.” do good service to
The Commission, the EU’s executive arm, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
