The UK's Competition and Markets Authority is investigating Microsoft to determine if it should receive strategic market status designation. The probe focuses on concerns over the company's influence in cloud services through software like Teams and Copilot. The formal investigation is set to begin in May.
The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has flagged a major concern regarding Microsoft's practices in the cloud sector. Officials point to productivity tools such as Word and Excel, the Teams chat application, AI companion Copilot, and even Windows as potential barriers to competition. Assigning strategic market status would give the CMA additional powers to intervene against the tech giant, according to the regulator's statement on March 31, 2026, as first reported by Engadget.
