Google has withdrawn it’s antitrust complaint against Microsoft with the European Union, as the EU’s own investigation into Microsoft’s cloud practices progresses, Reuters has learned. The move comes as Brussels is expected to soon issue a Statement of Objections, a formal charge sheet in antitrust cases, signaling a deepening scrutiny of Microsoft’s bundling of its Teams interaction and collaboration platform with its Office suite.
Google initially filed the complaint in 2023, alleging Microsoft was unfairly leveraging its dominance in office productivity software to gain an advantage in the cloud computing market. Though, with the EU’s autonomous and comprehensive investigation already underway – possibly leading to significant penalties for Microsoft – Google has decided to discontinue its separate challenge.The EU probe centers on whether Microsoft illegally tied Teams to office,hindering competition from rival products. A decision in the EU case could reshape the cloud market and impact millions of businesses relying on these services.
Foo Yun Chee of Reuters reported that google confirmed the withdrawal of its complaint. The EU Commission did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
