Google tried to derail a Microsoft antitrust settlement over anticompetitive software licensing in the European Union by offering a $500 million alternative deal to the group of cloud providers behind the EU complaint, Bloomberg reported.
According to Bloomberg, Google’s offer to the Cloud Infrastructure Services Providers in Europe (CISPE) required that the group maintain its EU antitrust complaint.
Bloomberg uncovered Google’s attempted counteroffer after reviewing confidential documents and speaking to “people familiar with the matter.”
Seemingly increasing regulatory pressure on Microsoft while taking a chunk of its business in the EU was supposed to be one of Google’s next big moves.
“However, the members voted by a significant majority to accept the Microsoft offer, which, in their view, presented the best opportunity for the European cloud sector,” Maynard told Ars.
In 2022, CISPE Secretary-General Francisco Mingorance told Ars that although CISPE had been clear that it intended to force Microsoft to make changes allowing all cloud rivals to compete, “a key reason behind filing the complaint was to support” two smaller cloud service providers, Aruba and OVH.
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