Microsoft Agrees to Separate Teams from Office Suite in EU Settlement

Microsoft has agreed to offer its Office solutions suite without Teams and at a reduced price.

The European Commission has accepted Microsoft's concessions following an antitrust investigation into the bundling of Teams with Microsoft 365 and Office 365 subscriptions.

This decision concludes a long-standing legal dispute initiated by Slack's complaint in 2020, allowing Microsoft to avoid a substantial fine.

Microsoft has committed not to offer higher discount rates on suites with Teams than those without, and customers with long-term licenses can switch to providers without Teams.

Salesforce's Sabastian Niles stated that the decision validates Slack's initial complaint, describing it as a meaningful step forward and urging lawmakers to ensure Microsoft adheres to its commitments.

EU lawmakers will enforce the settlement terms for seven years, with specific aspects like interoperability being enforced for ten years.