Last week, Microsoft announced that it will not bundle its video-conferencing platform Teams with its productivity suite Office in the Europe Union. The move is said to comply with the regulations in the region. Now, Zoom CEO chief executive said that, just like the EU body, the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) should also look into Microsoft’s bundling of its video-conferencing software.
“No matter what, you’ve got to be fair,” Company CEO Eric Yuan was quoted as saying. He was speaking at the Goldman Sachs Communacopia + Technology Conference. “You should ask this question to the FTC as well,” he added.
The world’s largest software maker will unbundle Teams and sell it separately in Europe beginning October 1.
Microsoft added Teams to Office 365 in 2017 without any cost, and replaced Skype for Business. The app, along with Zoom and Slack, gained popularity during the pandemic.
However, in 2020, Salesforce-owned workspace messaging app Slack filed a complaint against Microsoft for bundling the platform with its office suite. The European Commission then swung into action and started probing the tech giant’s bundling of the apps.
Zoom’s take on Teams
Yuan drew a parallel with sports, saying that even if one has a better team, they can’t win if the other side gets extra points for each shot, the publication said.
He added that customers are realising that the total cost of managing “the so-called free service” of competitors’ products is actually higher than using Zoom.
Microsoft ‘Edge’ setback
Recently, Microsoft was also directed by the EU to stop its practice of directing Windows 11 users in the region into Edge. The company has begun testing the changes in the latest test builds of the operating system.
Windows 11 users in the EU region, as well as from Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway, will be able to open all links in Windows using their default web browser instead of being forced to use Microsoft Edge.
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