Google Faces Accusations of Covert Campaigns to Redirect Antitrust Attention Toward Microsoft
Cloud Provider Reportedly Contacted by Google Informs Microsoft of Alleged Tactics
On Monday, Microsoft took aim at Google, publishing a blog post accusing Google of "dishonestly" funding groups to produce allegedly biased studies designed to discredit Microsoft and mislead both antitrust regulators and the public.
Open Cloud Coalition: A shadowy Google Group?
In the post, Microsoft attorney Rima Alaily claimed that a new group, the "Open Cloud Coalition," will be launched this week, seemingly led by "a handful of European cloud providers."
However, Alaily asserted that these smaller companies were covertly recruited and funded by Google to serve as the public face of the coalition, concealing Google’s involvement. In return, Google allegedly offered financial incentives or discounts to encourage their participation.
Google: Obscuring antitrust issues?
According to Alaily, the Open Cloud Coalition is part of a broader "pattern of shadowy campaigns" funded by Google, both "directly and indirectly," to obscure antitrust issues. Alaily cited the Coalition for Fair Software Licensing (CFSL) as another example, stating that it has criticized Microsoft's cloud computing business in the U.S., U.K., and the European Union.
This coalition, led by Ryan Triplette, is another instance where Google’s affiliation is reportedly undisclosed. Triplette is described as "a well-known Google lobbyist in Washington, DC," although her current role doesn’t publicly disclose this connection. Online searches show that Triplette was previously with Franklin Square Group, which Politico reports represented Google during her tenure.
Google’s “shadowy campaign” also involves enlisting supposedly neutral experts, including industry analysts and academics, to “attack Microsoft and produce ‘studies’ that can be cited to undermine us,” Alaily alleged.
According to Alaily, Google’s strategy with these groups and related actions aims to “distract from the intense regulatory scrutiny Google is under worldwide by discrediting Microsoft and shifting the regulatory focus in favor of its cloud services, rather than competing on merit.”
Alaily suggested that Google’s tactics reflect a reaction to its own “reckoning,” with “at least 24 antitrust investigations” encircling its operations globally.
“At a time when Google should be addressing legitimate questions about its business, it’s instead directing vast resources toward undercutting others,” Alaily wrote. “It’s disappointing that, as the foundation of its business faces serious questions, Google has chosen to bolster its Google Cloud Platform by attacking ours.”
In response, a Google spokesperson was convinced that the company has valid concerns regarding Microsoft’s cloud business practices.
“We’ve been very public about our concerns with Microsoft’s cloud licensing,” the spokesperson said. “We and many others believe that Microsoft’s anticompetitive practices lock in customers, creating downstream effects that negatively impact cybersecurity, innovation, and choice. Our numerous blog posts on this topic provide further details.”
Microsoft Alerted by Potential Recruit
This clash between Google and Microsoft appears to have intensified after Google opposed a Microsoft settlement in an EU antitrust case involving the Cloud Infrastructure Service Providers in Europe (CISPE), which had filed a complaint against Microsoft’s cloud business.
Microsoft claimed that Google had intended to “weaponize” CISPE during the complaint process. Alaily noted that in July, Google offered CISPE “a combination of cash and credits totaling an astonishing $500 million” to derail the Microsoft settlement—an effort that ultimately fell flat.