Microsoft Pledges Teams-Office Split To Address EU Antitrust Probe

Microsoft has offered to further separate its Teams app from Office software to resolve EU antitrust concerns and avoid a potential fine.

The European Commission is evaluating these commitments, which include selling Office suites without Teams at reduced prices and improving compatibility with competing products. Microsoft also pledged to allow customers to switch plans mid-contract and transfer data to rival services. These proposals follow earlier steps that the Commission found insufficient. The EU launched its investigation in 2023, citing a 2020 complaint from Slack. The Commission will collect feedback over the next month. If the commitments are accepted and legally binding, Microsoft may avoid penalties. However, failure to comply could lead to a fine of up to 10% of global turnover.