The U.S. Federal Trade Commission has opened an investigation into Microsoft for potential monopolistic practices in the cloud computing and artificial intelligence markets. It is analyzing whether the company forces its customers to use Azure through costly licenses on other clouds, whether it forcibly integrates Copilot into its products, and whether its alliance with OpenAI constitutes a covert merger. For users, this could translate into fewer options and higher prices for everyday digital services.
Technical integration and cross-dependency 🔗
The technical core of the investigation focuses on how Microsoft ties its products together. Windows Server and SQL Server licenses would have significantly higher costs if run on AWS or Google Cloud, discouraging competition. Additionally, the integration of Copilot in Office 365 and Windows cannot be fully disabled, forcing the use of its AI. The alliance with OpenAI is also key: Microsoft invested $13 billion and obtained exclusive access to models like GPT-4, which regulators see as a covert acquisition of technology.
The monopoly that promises not to be one 😏
Microsoft, that company that always claims to love competition while charging an arm and a leg for using Excel on a cloud that isn't Azure. Now it turns out its love for AI is so intense that we can't escape Copilot even in Notepad. And the OpenAI thing is as covert as an elephant in a china shop. But don't worry, the FTC is still investigating, although the political change in the U.S. could turn all this into a nice report that ends up in the digital recycle bin.