14 DAY TRIAL // Microsoft is one of the companies involved in an anti-trust investigation in China, and as we announced last month, CEO Satya Nadella himself traveled to the country to discuss with local investigators on the case.
Reuters writes that Microsoft’s CEO met with officials of China's State Administration for Industry and Commerce (SAIC) to discuss the reasons for the anti-monopoly investigation started against the software giant this year, but also to detail the ways to make the probe reach a conclusion faster.
While the exact details of the conversation are yet to be disclosed, it appears that both Nadella and SAIC’s representatives agreed on a stronger collaboration that would in the end lead to a faster verdict in the case.
This was Nadella’s first trip to Asia as Microsoft’s CEO, and although the company initially said that this visit to China had nothing to do with the anti-trust case, it’s pretty obvious that the softies see his involvement in the case as the best way to address all complaints in a much more effective manner.
Better collaboration between the two sides
SAIC chief Zhang Mao said in a statement that he promised Nadella to continue with a fair and transparent government investigation, while Microsoft’s CEO said the company would provide the necessary information to complete the anti-trust probe.
The company also added that it was “serious about complying with China's laws and committed to addressing SAIC's questions and concerns,” the aforementioned source noted.
Earlier this month, Microsoft was given a 20-day deadline to provide the required information on its failure to disclose all compatibility issues of the Office productivity suite, which indirectly affected competition against local companies.
Microsoft’s trouble started with Windows 8
The problems that Microsoft is experiencing in China appeared in May, when the central government decided to ban Windows 8 on their computers amid claims that the US could use the operating system to spy on their officials and steal state secrets.
The company said at that time that it was working with the Chinese officials to remove the restriction and make Windows 8 available again on government computers.
“We were surprised to learn about the reference to Windows 8 in this notice. Microsoft has been working proactively with the Central Government Procurement Center and other government agencies through the evaluation process to ensure that our products and services meet all government procurement requirements. We have been and will continue to provide Windows 7 to government customers. At the same time we are working on the Window 8 evaluation with relevant government agencies,” a company spokesperson said at that time.
It remains to be seen, however, if Satya’s visit to China can help address the anti-trust probe faster, and official comments from both sides are expected in the coming days.