FTC opens wide-ranging antitrust probe into Microsoft

Microsoft is set to go under the microscope of the nation’s top antitrust watchdog, the Federal Trade Commission, which is launching a sweeping investigation into the tech giant’s practices.

Microsoft is set to go under the microscope of the nation’s top antitrust watchdog, the Federal Trade Commission, which is launching a sweeping investigation into the tech giant’s practices. The FTC, in a letter sent to Microsoft, demanded that it hand over information to assist in the agency’s investigation, a source familiar with the matter told CNN. The FTC and Microsoft declined to comment. The probe was first reported by Bloomberg. Microsoft’s business is wide-ranging. It has quickly become a leading player in the emerging artificial intelligence space, thanks to an investment in OpenAI and its own AI system, Copilot, which built on the company’s existing cloud computing, enterprise software, gaming and device businesses. And the company has faced antitrust concerns before. European officials earlier this year considered a formal investigation of Microsoft’s OpenAI partnership, part of a wider effort to assess competition in the AI field, although the probe never materialized.