In an era dominated by quantum computing, self-driving cars, LLMs, and dancing robots, you probably aren't seeing much TikTok content about PC web browsers.
You should be. The PC browser enables you to communicate, shop, bank, learn, work, all in one place, and is very much part of the technological shift we're all experiencing right now.
Entirely new takes on the browser, like Perplexity’s Comet and OpenAI’s Operator, are reimagining the tool for the AI era. And hundreds of other companies and organizations are building unique tools they know consumers want. For example, some choose alternative browser Vivaldi for its ad and tracker-blocking technology, or Opera for its built-in Virtual Private Network (VPN), or Chrome for its large extension library. And so on.
Yet Microsoft still isn’t interested in earning its browser users on the merits. That’s despite being the face of the most notorious incident in the history of the web browser - the destruction of Netscape and the anti-trust trial that followed.
If you’re a Windows user - and you probably are since Windows operates on more than 71% of personal computers globally - then you’ve got just one easy choice: Edge.
If Edge is the browser for you, that’s great - it’s integrated with Microsoft services and has features that some users like. But if it isn’t, then prepare to navigate a laundry-list of obstacles, all of which are designed to keep you within the confines of Microsoft’s closed ecosystem of services.
It starts before you ever open a new personal computer. Microsoft uses anti-competitive agreements to stack the deck by coercing PC manufacturers to exclusively pre-install Edge on new PCs through its ‘Jumpstart’ program. Microsoft thereby denies alternative browsers a critical means to reach users, which Microsoft then reinforces by building a moat around Edge.
Indeed, once you have that computer, Microsoft’s tactics become even more aggressive - and frustrating. When a new update is installed on a computer running Windows, Microsoft frequently changes the default browser setting back to Edge or pushes users to reset Edge as default. When you click a link in Outlook or Teams on Windows, it opens in Edge - even when you choose a different browser as your default. In addition, Microsoft hardwires key access points, Windows Search and Widgets, to Edge. Microsoft also employs aggressive pop-ups that take over entire screens during attempts to search for and download competing browsers, warning you that other browsers aren’t safe and that Edge is built for Windows. These tactics are becoming more audacious and evolving with the intent to stop the use of any browser other than Edge.
Moreover, the AI race is only likely to intensify Microsoft’s long-running tactics to lock users into its ecosystem. In July, Microsoft announced that it would be launching Copilot, its AI tool, on Edge. It is now clear that Edge has become a central tenet of Microsoft’s AI strategy.
The stakes of Microsoft’s anti-competitive tactics for consumers couldn’t be higher. The renewed importance of desktop browsers in the age of AI necessitates an urgent response from regulators globally to protect consumer choice, promote innovation and preserve the ability of smaller, more nimble browsers to compete on an even playing field.
Regulators around the world need to wake up to the threat and take action – and some now are. For example, there are positive developments in Brazil, where Microsoft’s blatantly anti-competitive behavior is now under the microscope.
At the end of July, the Administrative Council for Economic Defense (CADE), Brazil’s competition authority, committed to investigate Opera’s formal antitrust complaint against Microsoft. Opera alleges that Microsoft has engaged in anti-competitive practices that give an unfair advantage to its Edge browser and stifle others from entering the market. This comes on the heels of Opera’s challenge in Europe under the Digital Markets Act (DMA) which is being considered by the European Union courts.
These are likely just the start as more competition authorities become aware of Microsoft’s anti-competitive practices in the desktop browser market and understand the increasingly important role desktop browsers play in the AI race.
U.S. regulators got this right 25 years ago, and Microsoft was forced to take action. It’s time Microsoft was reminded of its obligations to allow fair competition and told to stop engaging in self-serving tactics that hurt consumers.
Gene Burrus is an experienced competition law and policy professional, focused on fair and open competition on digital platforms. He spent 15 years at Microsoft managing antitrust compliance, and three years at Spotify as their global director of competition policy.
