Microsoft Resolves Antitrust Case with European Commission

Microsoft has reached a settlement with the European Commission regarding an antitrust case by committing to provide stripped-down versions of its productivity suites without the Teams communication service. This resolution comes after more than five years since Slack lodged its initial complaint and over two years since EU regulators initiated their investigation.

Since the complaint was filed, Slack has been acquired by Salesforce, Teams has garnered approximately 300 million monthly average users, and the focus has shifted to AI technologies.

While Microsoft will still offer Microsoft 365 suites that include Teams, it will also offer versions without Teams at a reduced price. The company began offering separate versions of Teams globally last year, with additional price reductions made based on EU market testing feedback.

As part of the settlement, Microsoft has committed to enhancing interoperability with rival services to facilitate data portability for customers looking to switch platforms.

These commitments will be in effect for seven years, with the interoperability and data portability measures extending to 10 years, overseen by a monitoring trustee. Failure to comply with the agreement could lead to a fine of up to 10% of Microsoft’s global revenue.

Although the investigation was initiated by Slack’s complaint, another company, Alfaview GmbH, also filed a complaint in 2024. Both companies have since retracted their complaints.