In a rare moment of corporate soul-searching prompted less by sudden altruism and more by the European Union pointing a rather stern regulatory finger, Microsoft has announced another change to how it bundles its Teams software. The company will now allow customers worldwide to purchase Office without Teams, finally responding to that age-old plea from IT departments everywhere: please, not another random app we cannot uninstall.
This comes after the European Commission opened an antitrust investigation into Microsoft’s bundling of Teams with its Office software, apparently unmoved by Microsoft’s habit of acting surprised every time bundling is considered a problem. Slack, now owned by Salesforce, lodged a formal complaint back in 2020, arguing that Microsoft was using its dominant position in workplace software to suffocate competition by throwing in Teams for free and making removal about as easy as canceling a gym membership in January.
In response, Microsoft unbundled Teams from Office for European customers in October 2023. This week, they’ve grudgingly expanded that spirit of generosity to customers worldwide. Starting April 1, businesses will be able to purchase Microsoft 365 and Office 365 suites without Teams. Customers can also buy Teams as a standalone if they’re feeling particularly adventurous. Microsoft says this move is meant to address “feedback from the European Commission by providing multinational companies more flexibility.” Or, translated from corporate-speak, it was this or a very expensive fine.
“Today’s announcement addresses feedback from the European Commission by providing multinational companies more flexibility when they want to standardize their purchasing across geographies,” said a Microsoft spokesperson, likely over a Teams call they tried not to schedule.
This move may help Microsoft sidestep further regulatory wrath, even if it comes a bit late—the antitrust investigation is still ongoing, and the EU is not known for letting bygones be bygones when potential market abuses are involved. Services like Zoom, Slack, and Google Meet have all been competing for a spot in the digital meeting room, though Teams has often showed up first simply because it already had a key to the building.
Microsoft has said pricing for the newly unbundled versions will vary by market, but in the EU, Office suites without Teams cost one to two euros less, proving once again that in software, less is occasionally just a little bit less expensive.
So if you have ever found yourself baffled by a Teams notification for a meeting you never wanted, on software you never chose, good news: liberation is now just a couple clicks and a procurement approval away.
The revolution may not be televised, but apparently it will feature fewer pre-installed video conferencing apps.