FTC Advances Comprehensive Antitrust Investigation Against Microsoft

According to a report by Bloomberg citing sources close to the matter, the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is conducting a comprehensive antitrust investigation into Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) Corp. This inquiry, initiated during the Biden administration, is now being led by new FTC Chair Andrew Ferguson, who was appointed by Donald Trump. The ongoing investigation highlights Ferguson's prioritization of scrutiny on tech giants.

In recent weeks, the FTC team has been actively working on this investigation, holding discussions with various companies and groups to gather information. At the end of 2021, the FTC issued a civil investigative demand akin to a subpoena to Microsoft, requiring extensive data on its artificial intelligence operations. The FTC is requesting information dating back to 2016, including training models and data acquisition costs, while also inquiring about Microsoft’s data centers and the challenges in providing adequate processing power to meet customer demands.