Microsoft will separate its Teams business messaging and video app from its Office software across global markets amid growing antitrust scrutiny from regulators.
The move follows a the separation of Teams in Europe due to potential competition concerns and ongoing investigations by the European Commission, prompted by a complaint from online messaging app Slack in 2020.
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In a statement, Microsoft said the decision aims to provide clarity for customers and address feedback from regulators, offering multinational companies more flexibility in their purchasing across different regions.
Microsoft plans to offer Teams as a standalone product, priced at $5.25 for new customers, while Office packages without Teams will range from $7.75 to $54.75.
Despite the separation, Microsoft may still face antitrust charges in the EU, which could result in significant fines.
The move follows a pattern of regulatory scrutiny faced by Microsoft over the past decades, including antitrust fines and investigations both in the EU and the US.
The global rollout of this separation extends a previous announcement affecting only the European Union.
The decision comes amid increasing regulatory scrutiny of large tech companies globally, with antitrust investigations and lawsuits becoming more common.
According to GlobalData’s Thematic Intelligence: Tech Regulation report, existing competition laws were not made with the digital era in mind, particularly when defining significant market power and anticompetitive practices, and have struggled to adapt to the challenges of the digital economy.
