The fifth Big Tech business to come under such scrutiny in recent years is Microsoft, which is the subject of a comprehensive antitrust investigation by the Federal Trade Commission. The agency is investigating Microsoft's AI offerings, cybersecurity services, and cloud and software licensing operations. The Verge verified the investigation with an individual with knowledge of the situation, who was given anonymity to talk to a confidential investigator after Bloomberg broke the story first.
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Hundreds of pages of material are needed, and the request is the result of more than a year of unofficial conversations with Microsoft partners and rivals. One area of emphasis, according to the source, is how Microsoft bundles security and productivity tools with its Azure cloud. After multiple security problems affecting Microsoft's products, the FTC became more interested in the company's cloud business, especially since Microsoft is a major software provider to US government organizations. Microsoft and the FTC declined to comment.
"Microsoft's security culture was inadequate and requires an overhaul, particularly in light of the company's centrality in the technology ecosystem," the federal Cyber Safety Review Board found earlier this year. "If you're faced with the tradeoff between security and another priority, your answer is clear: Do security," CEO Satya Nadella wrote in a message sent to staff members shortly after.
Microsoft would find itself in a familiar, albeit outdated, situation if the FTC filed a lawsuit against the business. In the late 1990s, the Department of Justice filed an anti-monopoly case against the corporation for combining its web browser with the Windows operating system. However, in recent years, Microsoft has largely avoided the same kind of antitrust scrutiny that has been placed on Amazon, Apple, Meta, and Google—all of which are battling government accusations of monopoly.
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