Microsoft Chairman Brad Smith has assured the European Commission that the company will comply with European regulations, regardless of whether it agrees with them or not, according to Vice President Teresa Ribera.
Ribera, who spoke to reporters on Monday, highlighted the importance of respecting local rules to operate in the European market. She emphasized that acknowledging the need to comply with the rules is more valuable than claiming unfair treatment due to Microsoft’s American origin.
The European Commission’s stance on Microsoft’s business practices has recently been a topic of attention. In an effort to avoid a potential antitrust fine, Microsoft announced last month that it would sell its chat and video app, Teams, separately from its Office software globally, following its earlier decision to unbundle the two products in Europe.
This move came after Salesforce-owned Slack lodged a complaint with the European Commission, accusing Microsoft of improperly bundling Teams with Office.
Ribera also mentioned the growing concern over the concentration of power among tech giants, noting that a significant portion of their global revenues comes from Europe.
