Here’s one from The Information:
Microsoft will begin letting customers buy its Office software without its Teams collaboration app included, unbundling the products that were previously automatically sold together, the Financial Times reported on Monday.
The move could help Microsoft head off a formal antitrust investigation in the EU. The European Commission, the EU’s regulatory body, has been reviewing Microsoft’s software bundling practices in response to a 2020 complaint filed by Slack that accused Microsoft of anticompetitive behavior for automatically including its Teams software every time a customer purchased Office. Slack, which competes with Teams, has since been acquired by Salesforce.
If you doubt the EU’s ability to shape policy and products, here’s the counterpoint. Sure, Microsoft is known for making its products available in nearly infinite combinations and SKUs, yet this signals how regulators can impact purchasing.
And offer new options for providers to sell.