Microsoft announced that it will separate its Teams chat and video programme from its Office product and make it simpler for competitors to interact with its software. However, rivals claimed that Microsoft may need to take more steps to avoid a potential EU antitrust sanction.
The planned modifications came a month after the European Commission opened an investigation into Microsoft’s integration of Teams and Office as a result of a complaint made by Slack, a rival workspace messaging service owned by Salesforce.
The actions Microsoft outlined were a continuation of earlier compromises that had not been sufficient to allay regulatory worries. The EU competition enforcer acknowledged having read the company’s announcement but chose not to comment further.
If the company doesn’t improve its offer, the Commission might file formal charges against it in the fall, individuals with knowledge of the situation told Reuters last month.
Teams was a free addition to Office 365 in 2017. Because of its video conferencing, it gradually took the position of Skype for Business and grew in popularity across the pandemic.
