Microsoft will next week face its first formal EU antitrust investigation in 15 years over claims the US tech giant is unfairly tying its video conferencing app Teams with its popular Office software.
The push from the European Commission, the EU’s executive body, comes after Microsoft’s concessions to appease competition concerns proved insufficient, four people with direct knowledge of the EU’s thinking said on Monday. Once the probe gets under way, Microsoft could face formal charges as early as the autumn, two of the people added.
The commission’s decision to open an investigation signals Brussels’ determination to clamp down on practices by large tech companies that could stifle competition. Apple, Google and Meta are all facing probes for alleged anti-competitive behaviour.