Slack Fights ‘Illegal’ Microsoft Teams-Office Bundle

Proprietary business communication platform, Slack, has lodged a complaint with the European Union, asserting Microsoft illegally misused market power to crush rivals.

The company claims Microsoft illegally incorporated its Team collaboration software with productivity options (e.g. Microsoft Office, Outlook), culminating in a ‘bundling tactic’ – a pattern of anti-competitive conduct.

The European Union has continued to crack down on antitrust measures against big tech companies for some time now, notably Google and Apple.

The news comes as United States regulators further their investigation on antitrust conduct amongst big tech giants, with chief executives from Facebook, Google and others testifying before Congress next week.

Slack’s complaint has reportedly sought an order to remove Microsoft Teams from the Office bundle, rendering it a stand-alone product with an accompanying price-tag.

A statement from Microsoft asserts the company offered Teams to combine collaboration with video conferencing – an element absent from Slack.

“Slack threatens Microsoft’s hold on business email, the cornerstone of Office, which means Slack threatens Microsoft’s lock on enterprise software,” said Jonathan Prince, vice president of communications and policy at Slack in a statement to The New York Times.