The FTC has launched an antitrust investigation into Microsoft, according to multiple reports that corroborate earlier reporting by the Financial Times.
The agency is said to be looking into whether Microsoft violated antitrust law in multiple segments of its business, including its public cloud, AI, and cybersecurity product lines. Of particular interest to the FTC is the way Microsoft bundles its cloud products with its office and security tools, says The New York Times.
As it notes, the aggressive move comes as the FTC’s chair, Lina Khan, is likely to depart once Donald Trump enters office.
It’s unclear if Trump will continue President Joe Biden’s push to rein in big tech companies. Under Biden, the FTC sued Amazon and Meta, accusing them of stifling rivals, while the Justice Department sued Google over its dominance in ad technology and Apple for making it difficult for customers to leave its product ecosystem.