Microsoft may separate Teams from its Office products to avoid anti-trust concerns

The European Union is tightening its grip on the monopolistic and unfair business practices of tech companies. In the past couple of years, the EU amended its privacy and competition laws, forcing big tech companies to mend their ways of functioning.   Also Read: Apple iPad Pro Launched In India With New M5 Chip, Ultra Retina XDR Display: Price, Specs

After Google and Apple, it’s Microsoft that is on EU’s radar. According to reports, Microsoft is unbundling its remote collaboration tool that is Microsoft Teams from its Office 365 products. Report claims, Microsoft is doing this to avoid an anti-trust investigation from the European Union of its Teams and Office product.  Also Read: Apple Launches 14-inch MacBook Pro With M5 Chip And Up To 24-Hour Battery Life: Check Price And Availability

The recent case against Microsoft started in 2020 when, now Salesforce-owned, instant messaging service Slack filed a formal complaint with the European Commission regulatory agency. In the complaint, Slack claimed that Microsoft’s decision to bundle Teams with Office products is a way to install Teams on PCs, which is illegal and anti-competitive.  Also Read: iPhone 13 vs iPhone 14 vs iPhone 15: Best Deal To Grab This Diwali Under Rs 50000

It was reported in November 2022 that the EU was going to start a formal investigation into the matter.

Now Microsoft has agreed to unbundle Teams from Office products and offer Office with or without Teams, as per an Engadget report. The report further states that discussions are still ongoing on how it will be done, and a final solution is yet to be agreed upon. 

Microsoft has still not said anything on this, but in a reply to Financial Times, as reported by Engadget, Microsoft said, “We are mindful of our responsibilities in the EU as a major technology company. We continue to engage cooperatively with the commission in its investigation and are open to pragmatic solutions that address its concerns and serve customers well.”

In a similar move, there are reports which suggest Apple is working on major updates in iOS 17 and might allow users to install apps from third-party sources apart from its App Store. The move is a part of Apple’s efforts to comply with the European Union’s Digital Markets Act. The act, which will be implemented in March 2024, requires Apple to allow sideloading (installing software downloaded from the web) in addition to third-party app stores in its iPhones and iPads. Through this provision, the act tries to ensure fair competition. Failing to comply with these provisions of the act could ban the company from the EU.