Microsoft says Teams isn’t as bad as you think, actually

Microsoft thanks the pandemic for Teams growth - not unfair competition

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Microsoftis looking to to address EU antitrust concerns following complaints from messaging appSlack.

The concerns surroundMicrosoft Teams, which rivals claim has gained an unfair advantage in thevideo conferencingand online collaboration market due to being bundled as part of Microsoft 365.

Microsoft had previously announced plans to change its terms in an effort to level the playing field in October 2022, citing the “importance of an open and competitive cloud economy in Europe” in ablog post.

Microsoft Teams vs competition

Reutershighlights the company’s extensive history of controversy, which has totalled €2.2 billion in fines over the past decade for cases relating to tying and other practices.

Microsoft is keen to stress its innocence, though. To counter threats from other companies, it explained that Teams (which was introduced in 2017) managed significant growth during the pandemic thanks to its native video conferencing support, enabling people to meet face-to-face virtually. At the time, Slack didn’t have such a tool, which saw it lose out to companies like Microsoft andGoogle.

These are the best online collaboration tools>There’s now a new ‘premium’ version of Microsoft Teams>Zoom and Google Meet are coming closer together at last

Questionnaires have already been sent out to rivals by the European Union’s antitrust watchdog, set to challenge Microsoft’s interoperability and bundling practices - something the company should be accustomed to, following complaints about the bundling ofcloud storageplatform OneDrive with Windows.

In a stark contrast to Microsoft’s practices, Google andZoomhave been working together to make it easier for users on opposing platforms to connect, reducing business’s needs to fork out for multiple licences.

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Zoom users are set to be able to join Meet calls “across all platforms” by the end of the year, and while Meet users will need to be running ChromeOS-based Meet devices to join Zoom calls, it’s a step in the right direction that could see Microsoft lose out in the long run.

For now, Microsoft remains committed to improving its already popular platform by extending accessibility features, adding new tools, and tweaking updates.

With several years’ experience freelancing in tech and automotive circles, Craig’s specific interests lie in technology that is designed to better our lives, including AI and ML, productivity aids, and smart fitness. He is also passionate about cars and the decarbonisation of personal transportation. As an avid bargain-hunter, you can be sure that any deal Craig finds is top value!

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