The UK’s Competitors and Markets Authority is as soon as extra turning its lens on Microsoft. The tech firm would be the focus of an investigation by the regulator to see if it may be assigned strategic market standing (SMS). The CMA already has “a serious concern” with Microsoft’s alleged limiting of competitors within the cloud area through productiveness software program like Phrase and Excel, chat app Groups, AI companion Copilot and even Home windows itself. The SMS designation “would permit the CMA to behave” towards the corporate. The investigation will start in Might.
As well as, the UK regulator can be following up on an inquiry into Microsoft and Amazon from 2025, the place it sought to exert extra management over the home cloud providers market. On account of that motion, the CMA stated Amazon and Microsoft have agreed to a plan involving egress charges and interoperability round cloud providers. “These modifications will cut back expense and energy for UK prospects when utilizing a couple of cloud supplier,” the CMA bulletin states.
The CMA has ceaselessly had Microsoft in its sights. The corporate sparked an investigation in 2023 for its relationship with OpenAI and in 2024 for its actions hiring workers from Inflection AI.
