Google parent weighing up its biggest acquisition target ever: HubSpot
Regulators are not shy about thwarting Big Tech acquisitions. Yet Google parent company Alphabet may be willing to run that gauntlet by acquiring CRM player HubSpot.
The deal is anything but certain. Reuters reports that Alphabet has met with bankers from Morgan Stanley in recent days. Topics at... Read more
Microsoft unbundles Teams from Office 365 and Microsoft 365 globally
Microsoft will no longer offer Teams as a standard solution inside Office 365 and Microsoft 365. This had been the case within the European Union since October, but now the change to the 365 suite applies globally.
Microsoft stepped away from its Teams bundling starting in October in an effort t... Read more
European cloud players complain about Microsoft privileging Azure
Microsoft is allegedly making Azure disproportionately attractive to customers. CISPE supports this claim by comparing the costs Microsoft charges on Azure to the substantially higher prices to run Windows and Office outside its own cloud service.
CISPE (Cloud Infrastructure Providers in Europe)... Read more
Apple’s changes to comply with the DMA opens new European antitrust investigation
Apple faces another EU competition investigation. This is the result of blocking so-called "progressive web applications" or PWAs in iOS 17.4. The change was made by Apple to comply with the EU's Digital Markets Act (DMA).
Apple is once again the subject of an EU competition investigation. More ... Read more
Will the Intel case change the European antitrust?
In a non-binding opinion, a European Court of Justice lawyer argues in Intel's favour. There would be too little evidence to sue Intel for unfair competition. The case may have implications for future European antitrust cases.
Intel has been at odds with the European Commission over an antitrus... Read more
Will Apple and Google be forced to open up their app stores?
This week, Epic Games won a high-profile lawsuit against Google. A U.S. jury ruled that the Google Play Store monopoly had harmed Epic and has to be addressed. The decision could have a major impact on the Android ecosystem, while Apple's dominance over the App Store is once again under a microscop... Read more
Microsoft’s and OpenAI’s partnership investigated by antitrust authorities
The partnership between Microsoft and OpenAI will be further investigated by antitrust authorities. Microsoft is the AI company's largest investor, with a 49 percent stake. By keeping the percentage just below 50 percent, Microsoft hoped to avoid such investigations.
Microsoft has long managed ... Read more
Adobe still trying to get Figma acquisition across the line with regulators
Adobe hopes to satisfy regulators in the EU and UK over its acquisition of Figma. For this, the creative software giant would like to overcome regulators' objections.
Adobe has been trying for some time to get permission from the European Commission to acquire Figma. However, the EC recently pre... Read more
Microsoft competitors decide whether Teams removal is sufficient
European antitrust authorities have asked Microsoft's competitors whether they are sufficiently reassured now that Teams is no longer offered in Microsoft 365 bundles by default. It looks like the EU wants to gather criticism to build a hard case against Microsoft's bundled offerings.
Competito... Read more
EU worries about Nvidia’s AI dominance
While Nvidia is raking in billions from sales of AI hardware, its competitors can't get anywhere near those figures. Yet authorities are unsure whether they should take action against this dominant market position. Last week, the GPU maker's French offices were raided, while the EU is also launchin... Read more