Google Withdraws EU Antitrust Complaint Against Microsoft

Alphabet’s Google has withdrawn its antitrust complaint against Microsoft over alleged anti-competitive cloud computing practices, following a new EU regulatory probe that may classify major cloud providers as “gatekeepers.” Google had filed the complaint last year, accusing Microsoft of locking customers into its Azure cloud ecosystem and limiting fair competition in the European market.

Giorgia Abeltino, Google Cloud Europe’s head of government affairs and public policy, said the complaint was dropped because the European Commission will now review the broader cloud sector under a separate process. She added that Google will continue engaging with policymakers and regulators to promote “choice and openness” in the cloud market across the EU and UK.

The European Commission is currently examining whether market features in the cloud industry reinforce the dominance of Microsoft Azure and Amazon Web Services. With AWS holding 30% of the market, Microsoft 20%, and Google 13%, regulators aim to determine if these giants should be designated as gatekeepers under the Digital Markets Act—a move that could impose strict rules to encourage competition and increase user choice.

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