Microsoft is removing Teams from Microsoft 365, the suite of programs formerly known as Office. After years of criticism for providing the business communication app and changing legislation in the European Union, big tech has finally canceled the “combo”. Most of the criticism came from competitors, who accused Microsoft of unfair competition.
An example of a competitor’s complaint comes from Salesforce, owner of Slack, Teams’ main rival. The company claimed that it was illegal for Microsoft to force install the app through Microsoft 365. According to Slack, big tech used the dominance of the old Microsoft Office to expand the use of its communication program.
Microsoft has done what the EU has asked and then some.
In 2020, Salesforce reported the Teams combo in Microsoft 365 to the European Commission. Last year, the big tech company removed the program from the package in the European Union and Switzerland, a non-member country of the bloc that also contested the “combo” sold. Another point against the availability of Teams in Microsoft 365 was that the company hid the value of the app in the subscription price.
In a note to Reuters, Microsoft says that, starting this Monday (1), Teams will be sold separately from Microsoft 365 worldwide — and it’s not an April 1 prank. Thus, big tech ends up getting ahead of possible lawsuits in other countries. This time, the Digital Markets Act played no role in Microsoft’s decision.
businesses, all other plans continue with Teams in their portfolio. The release of these new signatures will take place in the course of the day.
