The U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has initiated an antitrust investigation into Microsoft (MSFT, Financial), focusing on various areas including cloud computing, software licensing, cybersecurity products, and artificial intelligence. After conducting informal interviews with competitors and business partners for over a year, the antitrust authority has drafted a detailed request for Microsoft to submit information. This extensive request, spanning several hundred pages, has been signed by FTC Chair Lina Khan and sent to Microsoft.
FTC antitrust lawyers are set to meet with Microsoft's competitors to gather more information about the company's business practices. Both Microsoft and the FTC have declined to comment on the investigation.
Following a series of cybersecurity incidents involving Microsoft products, the FTC has intensified its scrutiny of Microsoft's cloud computing business. Microsoft is a major government contractor, providing billion-dollar software and cloud services to U.S. agencies, including the Department of Defense.
The current investigation is particularly focused on Microsoft's practice of bundling its popular office and security software with its cloud products. Microsoft's cybersecurity shortcomings and its influence as a government contractor are being viewed by the FTC as potential issues of market dominance.
