(Yahoo! Finance) - Microsoft (MSFT, Financials) has accused Google (GOOGL, Financials) of running "shadow campaigns" aimed at discrediting its cloud business, according to a blog post by Microsofts deputy general counsel Rima Alaily.
Alaily said, "It is designed to discredit Microsoft with competition authorities, and policymakers and mislead the public." She also said Google has gone to "great lengths to obfuscate its involvement, funding, and control" by recruiting European cloud providers to serve as the public face of a new organization.
Alaily claims that Microsoft discovered the effort when an unidentified European cloud provider turned down to participate, therefore alerting the firm. "One of the companies approached, who ultimately declined, told us that the organization will be directed and largely funded by Google for the purpose of attacking Microsofts cloud computing business in the European Union and the United Kingdom," she said.
This follows Google's September antitrust lawsuit to EU authorities, accusing Microsoft of discriminatory licensing terms for its Azure cloud services. Microsoft says Google tried to upset its July deal with the Cloud Infrastructure Services Providers in Europe by providing members "a combination of cash and credits amounting to $500 million" to keep pursuing litigation. After settling with Microsoft, CISPE finally decided to drop its 2022 EU lawsuit.
Since Microsoft and Google broke a six-year legal ceasefire in 2021, cloud rivalry at the core of their continuous conflict has increased tensions between the two firms.
By Faizan Farooque
