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Salesforce and Slack sue Microsoft in UK over tying and bundling; Google calls practices 'problematic'
Salesforce and its Slack platform filed a lawsuit against Microsoft in London's High Court, accusing the company of anti-competitive tying and bundling of Teams with Office. The action follows earlier complaints in Europe by Slack (2020) and Google (late 2024), and comes amid broader U.S. regulatory scrutiny of Microsoft’s market practices.
Why It Matters
The case highlights ongoing regulatory scrutiny of large tech companies' bundling tactics and their potential impact on competition and consumer choice in enterprise software.
Timeline
5 Events
Lawsuit filed in London High Court against Microsoft (reported Apr 27, 2026)
April 27, 2026
Salesforce and its messaging platform Slack filed a lawsuit against Microsoft in London’s High Court, alleging anti-competitive tying and bundling of Teams with Office to limit customer choice.
FTC probes into Microsoft monopolization in enterprise computing (February 2026)
February 2026
The FTC reportedly accelerated a probe into whether Microsoft illegally monopolizes the enterprise computing market, focusing on Windows/Office on rival clouds and Copilot integration.
Microsoft price concessions in Europe for Teams opt-out (2025)
2025
To avoid a massive EU fine, Microsoft agreed to lower the price of Office products for customers who opt out of Teams.
Google European complaint described as 'problematic' (late 2024)
2024
Google described Microsoft’s practices as problematic and filed its own complaint in Europe.
Slack European Commission complaint over bundling (2020)
2020
Slack filed a complaint with the European Commission alleging anti-competitive bundling of Teams with Office.