Microsoft business software faces UK antitrust probe over bundling, AI lock-in
The UK’s competition regulator has launched a broad antitrust investigation into Microsoft’s business software ecosystem, opening a new front in growing regulatory scrutiny of how cloud platforms, productivity software, and embedded AI capabilities may affect competition in enterprise technology markets. UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) said in a statement that it had opened a Strategic Market Status (SMS) investigation into Microsoft’s business software operations under the country’s new digital markets regime. The regulator said it will assess whether Microsoft has “substantial and entrenched market power” and a “position of strategic significance” in business software markets. “The investigation will assess whether Microsoft is using its position in business software to limit competition in cloud services, cybersecurity, communications, and AI,” the regulator said in a statement. The case is the fourth strategic market status (SMS) investigation the regulator has opened