Microsoft Tries To Win EU Regulator With Latest Move On Teams App

Microsoft Corp MSFT agrees to stop forcing Office software customers to automatically install Teams video conferencing and messaging apps on their devices.
Microsoft aimed to avoid a formal EU investigation by the move following a 2020 antitrust complaint by Salesforce, Inc CRM Slack against Microsoft’s practice of bundling the two services together, Financial Times reports.
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The move is partly an effort by Microsoft to avoid its first antitrust probe in over a decade.
In 2008, the EU accused Microsoft of exploiting its position to push users to download its Internet Explorer browser by bundling it with Windows at the expense of rivals. Microsoft settled with the EU and offered users a choice of browsers, but in 2013 the EU fined the company €561 million.
Slack urged EU officials to force Microsoft to sell Teams separately from its Office software.
The demand for apps like Teams and Slack exploded during the pandemic following the exodus to remote working.
Microsoft forged crucial collaborations with Nvidia Corp NVDA and Nintendo Co, Ltd NTDOF NTDOY to crush opposition against its Activision Blizzard, Inc ATVI deal.
Price Action: MSFT shares traded lower by 0.37% at $280.73 premarket on the last check Tuesday.