Following years of complaints, Microsoft is changing how it sells its popular Office programs. The software giant will offer a new version of Office 365 and Microsoft 365 without including its Teams chat program.
Teams is Microsoft’s answer to Slack, a separate chat app used by many businesses. But rivals said Microsoft gave Teams an unfair advantage by bundling it for free with Office 365. This made it hard for companies to consider other chat options.
The European Union, which oversees fair competition, also looked into the complaints. Last year, Microsoft agreed to offer Office 365 without Teams in Europe and nearby countries. Now the company will make that change worldwide starting next week.
In a statement, Microsoft said the move “addresses feedback” from EU regulators. It will give large global companies more flexibility in what programs they choose across different locations. Rival Slack said bundling Teams hid the true cost and made it seem free as part of Office 365.
By removing Teams, Microsoft aims to be fair to competitors while still keeping customers happy. The updated Office subscriptions will give businesses more transparency and control over the apps powering team communication and productivity. This could help Microsoft avoid further issues as workplace tools continue evolving rapidly.
