> The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has restricted Microsoft and Activision Blizzard from “acquiring an interest” in each other.
>It published an interim order stating they would need “prior written consent” from the UK regulator before making acquisitions between the companies.
>The order applies to the businesses as well as their subsidiaries.
I guess the threats from Microsoft and Activision execs didn’t quite have the impact they wanted.
I’ll put my tinfoil hat on and call this a move made by the British Government to buy Activision Blizzard and force all WoW developers to make a Harry Potter MMORPG.
Microsoft is one of the largest corporations the world. They own 80% of the OS market.
They get 30% net margins by squeezing people. It’s a staggering margin. Every time people buy a computer, they must pay the “Bill Gates tax”. That’s how this dude got so ultra-rich. He created a private tax worldwide. By the way, if you eat food or study, you are paying Microsoft indirectly. They charge governments, universities and supermarkets a lot of money to use Windows/Word/Excel. The costs are then passed on to you.
Microsoft is so powerful than when the IRS found out they clearly broke american laws, Microsoft managed to *retroactively change the laws* and get the IRS threatened:
The last thing we need is an EVEN BIGGER Microsoft. The UK did the right thing. I congratulate you.
What will happen if the merger is only opposed by the CMA market. Regardless of how many users that market has, I don’t see Microsoft pulling out of the whole thing.
It’s funny how they mentioned in the report that they’re also preventing Activision from buying Microsoft.
Am I correct in thinking that previously the UK would have been required to defer to the European Commission on matters such as this?
This is unbelievably petty. MS should pull out of the U.K., and get the deal done, no other organisation has an issue with it.
From what I have seen, the government would collapse in about 3 days without Sharepoint.
Rare L for my country.
Been very funny seeing Microsoft constantly shitting on the uk in the last few days and saying how great the EU is for investment because it doesn’t want to get blocked there too.
Great job UK. Big tech should not be allowed to buy any company anywhere.
I was excited to see kotick out of activision blizzard. But I guess Microsoft wasn’t a better evil
I see this merger as a final chance to salvage activisions murder of blizzard. I think Microsoft will do better with the intellectual properties of blizzard. I couldn’t care less about the games that origin from activision. This is so important for the future of gaming. The fear of big companies can’t stand in our way!
This thread is a perfect illustration of why Europe is garbage at tech lol.
Time to split up more companies, Sony, Amazon, Apple, Alphabet.
Anyone else feel like Microsoft might’ve purposefully pushed for all those Blizzard stories to come out to tank their value? Feels like way too much of a coincidence that Microsoft tried to buy them not long after a bunch of bad stories came out about Blizzard.
Good to hear. No company should be able to have such a monopoly on the industry.
No this can’t be right. r/europe told me that after Brexit the UK would be weak without the EU and would be in the pocket of every large company. This article must be wrong
Just let it happen, its worse if it does not happen cos Bobby is so greedy running Blizzard into the ground, he only understands how to make money not how to make good games.
Good. Microsoft is a monopoly and is already big enough. Too big, in fact.
Considering the UK can use some good publicity (new investments), needs a Microsoft long term support contract for Windows 7 at many levels of government (just like in many EU nations I can confirm). This deal will eventually be approved. It’s all a show of the CMA fighting for relevance, Tories to scream ‘global Britain’ before a solution will be found.
Microsoft has needs, The UK has needs. They both don’t want the Chinese to subsidize and buy AB instead which they will absolutely do in a few years if this deal isn’t approved. I expect a solution to come in due time.
As a continental European looking at this it’s simply shaping up to be a ‘Wow look at this win win cooperation we managed to achieve being so free and united. Wow bois btw China this is where our middle fingers are located. K thnx bye’
Florida Governor
United Kingdom
Fighting the good fight in all the wrong ways. Albeit UK has far more justification.
21 comments
> The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has restricted Microsoft and Activision Blizzard from “acquiring an interest” in each other.
>It published an interim order stating they would need “prior written consent” from the UK regulator before making acquisitions between the companies.
>The order applies to the businesses as well as their subsidiaries.
I guess the threats from Microsoft and Activision execs didn’t quite have the impact they wanted.
I’ll put my tinfoil hat on and call this a move made by the British Government to buy Activision Blizzard and force all WoW developers to make a Harry Potter MMORPG.
Microsoft is one of the largest corporations the world. They own 80% of the OS market.
They get 30% net margins by squeezing people. It’s a staggering margin. Every time people buy a computer, they must pay the “Bill Gates tax”. That’s how this dude got so ultra-rich. He created a private tax worldwide. By the way, if you eat food or study, you are paying Microsoft indirectly. They charge governments, universities and supermarkets a lot of money to use Windows/Word/Excel. The costs are then passed on to you.
Microsoft is so powerful than when the IRS found out they clearly broke american laws, Microsoft managed to *retroactively change the laws* and get the IRS threatened:
https://www.propublica.org/article/the-irs-decided-to-get-tough-against-microsoft-microsoft-got-tougher
The last thing we need is an EVEN BIGGER Microsoft. The UK did the right thing. I congratulate you.
What will happen if the merger is only opposed by the CMA market. Regardless of how many users that market has, I don’t see Microsoft pulling out of the whole thing.
It’s funny how they mentioned in the report that they’re also preventing Activision from buying Microsoft.
https://twitter.com/FOSSpatents/status/1656635421214879744?s=19
Am I correct in thinking that previously the UK would have been required to defer to the European Commission on matters such as this?
This is unbelievably petty. MS should pull out of the U.K., and get the deal done, no other organisation has an issue with it.
From what I have seen, the government would collapse in about 3 days without Sharepoint.
Rare L for my country.
Been very funny seeing Microsoft constantly shitting on the uk in the last few days and saying how great the EU is for investment because it doesn’t want to get blocked there too.
Great job UK. Big tech should not be allowed to buy any company anywhere.
I was excited to see kotick out of activision blizzard. But I guess Microsoft wasn’t a better evil
I see this merger as a final chance to salvage activisions murder of blizzard. I think Microsoft will do better with the intellectual properties of blizzard. I couldn’t care less about the games that origin from activision. This is so important for the future of gaming. The fear of big companies can’t stand in our way!
This thread is a perfect illustration of why Europe is garbage at tech lol.
Time to split up more companies, Sony, Amazon, Apple, Alphabet.
Anyone else feel like Microsoft might’ve purposefully pushed for all those Blizzard stories to come out to tank their value? Feels like way too much of a coincidence that Microsoft tried to buy them not long after a bunch of bad stories came out about Blizzard.
Good to hear. No company should be able to have such a monopoly on the industry.
No this can’t be right. r/europe told me that after Brexit the UK would be weak without the EU and would be in the pocket of every large company. This article must be wrong
Just let it happen, its worse if it does not happen cos Bobby is so greedy running Blizzard into the ground, he only understands how to make money not how to make good games.
Good. Microsoft is a monopoly and is already big enough. Too big, in fact.
Considering the UK can use some good publicity (new investments), needs a Microsoft long term support contract for Windows 7 at many levels of government (just like in many EU nations I can confirm). This deal will eventually be approved. It’s all a show of the CMA fighting for relevance, Tories to scream ‘global Britain’ before a solution will be found.
Microsoft has needs, The UK has needs. They both don’t want the Chinese to subsidize and buy AB instead which they will absolutely do in a few years if this deal isn’t approved. I expect a solution to come in due time.
As a continental European looking at this it’s simply shaping up to be a ‘Wow look at this win win cooperation we managed to achieve being so free and united. Wow bois btw China this is where our middle fingers are located. K thnx bye’
Florida Governor
United Kingdom
Fighting the good fight in all the wrong ways. Albeit UK has far more justification.