Microsoft's troubles intensify in America, FTC begins antitrust investigation; know what is the allegation

The US Trade Commission (FTC) has launched a major investigation against Microsoft. Its premises range from software licensing to the methods of cloud computing businesses. The investigation was passed by FTC Chairperson Lina Khan, who can resign from the position this January. The investigation case is in turmoil as Trump got elected as President, he might assign a person easy on business. The company also received many benefits during his previous tenure.

The FTC is investigating whether Microsoft is abusing its leading position in the software market, especially by making it difficult to transfer customer data from the cloud platform Azure to other platforms. Besides this, Microsoft's practices related to cybersecurity and AI products are also within the scope of the FTC investigation. In this case, competitors allege that the company forces customers to stay with Azure through its licensing rules.

According to Bloomberg's report, the FTC has sought several information from the company. This also includes its $650 million deal with AI startup Inflection AI. The investigating agency is already investigating Microsoft and Open AI to see if they are harming AI competition.

According to Andre Barlow, a lawyer at Doyle Barlow & Mazard, a firm providing legal services on antitrust, the Trump administration strictly enforced antitrust laws. He said that it filed lawsuits against companies like Google and Facebook. He says that changing the administration does not always end ongoing investigations, priorities can definitely change.