Microsoft accuses Google of desperate anti-competitive tactics
The company claims Google is trying to distract from its pile of antitrust lawsuits.
Tensions have been high with Google recently, especially with the US Department of Justice (DOJ) clamping down on it to break the company's monopoly. Now, fingers are pointed at the tech giant as Microsoft accuses it of violating antitrust rules.
In a Microsoft blog post, Google was accused of running a shadow campaign to discredit Microsoft’s Azure cloud services. According to Microsoft, Google is hiding behind a group called the Open Cloud Coalition, which is supposedly made up of smaller cloud providers but is really just a front for Google's lobbying efforts.
Microsoft claims that Google has been working hard to influence European regulators and policymakers. To them, the idea is that Google wants to present itself as a minor player in the Open Cloud Coalition while pulling the strings behind the scenes. Microsoft even cites a recruitment document that allegedly fails to mention Google’s role in this coalition.
Kelechi Edeh
The company also alleges that smaller cloud providers were offered incentives—like cash or discounts—to join the campaign against Microsoft. According to the blog post, Google had also tried to weaponize CISPE when its complaint with Microsoft was nearly resolved, offering them $500 million to keep the conflict between them, but CISPE ultimately rejected it.
The Windows company believes Google is doing all this to distract from its legal troubles. According to the post, Google is currently facing 24 antitrust investigations around the globe, which could lead to some serious consequences for the search giant.
The company believes this is a desperate attempt to shift attention away from those regulatory issues by trying to undermine Microsoft while trying to create a favourable market for its web services.
Google hasn’t issued an official response yet. Instead, the company maintains that its role in the Open Cloud Coalition is focused on fostering a fair and competitive cloud services environment. As it stands, Microsoft’s claims haven’t been independently verified, so we’re largely relying on their word for now.
According to Hava Research, Amazon Web Services is way ahead in the cloud services game, holding 32% of the market in January. Microsoft Azure follows with 23%, while Google Cloud trails behind at 10%.
But if Microsoft's claims hold true, Google might be looking for every means possible to increase its hold on the market and these figures might change drastically.
As the cloud market grows increasingly competitive, both companies are vying for attention, signalling that this battle is just getting started. With new challengers like TikTok and Meta launching services that could rival Google's offerings, it appears Google is under tension from multiple angles.
As time passes, we can only wait to see how Google responds to this situation—or if the company will turn a blind eye altogether.
