The European Commission (EC) plans to launch an antitrust investigation into Microsoft Teams, according to sources cited by Politico. The investigation is based on a 2020 complaint by Slack.
Politico reports that the EC intends to investigate whether Microsoft thwarts competitors by tying Teams to other Office applications.
Politico’s sources say a ‘statement of objections’ is underway. In this document, the EC will describe what grounds it has for an antitrust investigation and how Microsoft will be assessed. The document gives Microsoft time to prepare a defence.
The EC reportedly already sent a list of evidence to competitors and customers of Microsoft Teams. The case came about after Slack filed a complaint about Microsoft in 2020.
At the time, Slack said Microsoft had enough market power to effectively block competition. Microsoft allegedly antagonized competitors by tying Teams to its popular productivity suite, Microsoft Office.
EC confirms
In response to Politico’s article, the EC confirmed it’s compiling a list of concerns. Reuters indicates that Microsoft has been attempting to address the EC’s concerns since late last year. The tech giant is reportedly willing to cooperate.
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