Why Microsoft may be planning to stop offering Teams with Office – Times of India

Microsoft has reportedly agreed to stop bundling its Teams video-calling platform from its Office productivity suite. According to a report by Financial Times, the tech giant is trying to avoid an official European Union (EU) antitrust investigation with this move. This change may deal with the investigation which can turn out to be the most significant regulatory concern for Microsoft in over a decade.
In 2020, Salesforce-owned rival remote-work platform Slack submitted a complaint to EU regulators asking the officials to make Microsoft sell Teams separately from its widely available Office suite. At that time, Slack’s general counsel said, “We’re asking the EU to be a neutral referee, examine the facts and enforce the law.”
How Microsoft is trying to avoid the investigation
As per the report, Microsoft will eventually allow companies to buy the Office productivity suite with or without Teams installed. However, the report didn’t mention how the company will go on with this “mechanism”. Currently, Microsoft is reportedly negotiating with EU regulators, but “a deal is not certain.”
The company has reportedly 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.”

Microsoft’s first regulatory concern in a decade
In 2009, the company agreed to a settlement with the European Commission and promised to offer European customers a choice of web browsers. Later on, in 2013, the EU imposed a fine of €561 million on Microsoft as the company consistently failed to adhere to its promises.
Earlier, in 2000, the US forced the company to break up into two companies, but the ruling was later overturned by an appeals court. Microsoft settled with the DOJ in 2001 after agreeing to restrictions like — sharing APIs with third-party developers and allowing PC manufacturers to install non-Microsoft software on their products.