Microsoft Unbundles Teams from Microsoft 365 Worldwide Amidst Market Pressure

In response to mounting pressure, Microsoft has decided to unbundle Teams from Microsoft 365 worldwide. This move comes after the company unbundled the apps in the European Union six months prior, following an EU regulatory investigation that began in July 2023. The investigation was initiated after Slack filed a complaint alleging that Microsoft was abusing its market dominance to extinguish competition in breach of European Union competition law.

Microsoft’s decision to sell Teams and other Microsoft 365 apps as separate products with separate price tags is seen as a win for other team communication apps like Slack and video conferencing apps like Zoom. These platforms predate Teams but haven’t had the benefits of the Office apps’ huge established user base.

Current Microsoft 365 customers who want to keep using the Office apps and Teams together can continue to subscribe to both at their current prices. New customers will have the option of subscribing to either or both: a Teams subscription will start at $5.25 per user per month, while the Office apps will start at $7.75 per user per month and go up to $54.75 per user per month depending on the subscription tier.

read more > arstechnica.com

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