Microsoft separates the retail sale of the Teams online meeting application from the Office package

Six months ago, the company sold two software products separately in Europe after the European Commission opened an investigation into the connection between Office and Teams, according to a lawsuit filed by Salesforce - the company that owns the messaging application. Slack work news.

The Teams app was added to Office 365 for free in 2017, then replaced Skype for Business and became popular during the pandemic thanks in part to its online meeting feature.

Microsoft separates the retail sale of the Teams online meeting application from the Office package Picture 1

However, opponents allege that bundling these applications together gives Microsoft an unfair advantage. Since October last year, the software giant has had to sell these two software separately in the EU and Switzerland.

In 1998, the US Department of Justice also sued Microsoft for using the dominance of the Windows platform to prevent competition from rival web browsers. Ultimately, the company had to loosen its grip on the software that computer manufacturers could install on their devices.

Analysts say that Microsoft's rival Internet browsers have exploded after that move. However, Microsoft separating Teams from Office may not have the same impact.

'Enterprise products are a tough field. Teams is so tightly integrated into the workflow that separating it from Office is unlikely to have much impact,' said expert Rishi Jaluria from RBC Capital Markets.

According to Sensor Tower data, after Microsoft Teams was separated from Microsoft 365 and Office Suites in Europe in October 2023, the size of the platform's user base remained largely unchanged. Data show that the number of monthly users of the Teams application in the first quarter of 2024 is relatively stable compared to the fourth quarter of 2023, at 19 million.

Microsoft said the new Microsoft 365 and Office 365 suites will not include the Teams app. Starting April 1, customers can continue with their current subscription, or renew, update or switch to a new offer.

Office prices without Teams range from 7.75 USD (about 190,000 VND) to 54.75 USD (about 1,350,000 VND), while the online meeting application has a retail price of 5.25 USD (130,000 VND). . These prices may vary by country and currency.

In the past 10 years, Microsoft has had to pay 2.2 billion Euros ($2.4 billion) in antitrust fines in the EU for packaging two or more products together. With the Digital Markets Act, businesses can be fined up to 10% of global revenue if found to be in violation.

Isabella Humphrey

Update 02 April 2024