Microsoft's Strategic Move in the EU

In a bold move to address antitrust concerns raised by the European Commission, Microsoft Corp. has proposed selling its Office 365 and Microsoft 365 suites in the European Economic Area (EEA) without including its video conferencing app Teams. This proposal aims to foster a more competitive market environment by decoupling Teams from its productivity suites.

Key Components of the Proposal

The tech giant has outlined several measures to ensure compliance with the Commission's requirements. These include lowering the price of the suites that exclude Teams, enabling effective interoperability with competitors' products and services, and allowing EEA customers to transfer their Teams messaging data to competing applications.

Commitment to Long-term Compliance

Microsoft has committed to maintaining these changes for seven years, extending to ten years for its interoperability commitments. To ensure adherence, a trustee will monitor compliance and mediate any disputes that may arise. The European Commission is currently soliciting feedback from stakeholders before making a final decision on the proposal.