By John Abiona

Updated: 22:00 GMT, 1 January 2024

Takeover tantrum: Microsoft boss Brad Smith

Takeover tantrum: Microsoft boss Brad Smith

The boss of Microsoft has performed a dramatic U-turn after previously claiming the UK was ‘bad for business’.

Brad Smith launched a scathing attack in April last year after the tech giant was blocked from buying Call of Duty maker Activision for £60billion by British regulators. 

At the time, the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) warned the deal would lead to Microsoft having a ‘stranglehold’ over the fast-growing cloud gaming industry. 

But following his tantrum, Microsoft and Activision Blizzard went away and revised the terms of the deal, which the CMA then approved. 

And in a humiliating climbdown yesterday, Smith described the regulator as ‘tough but fair’. 

He told the BBC Radio 4’s Today Programme: ‘It pushed Microsoft to change the acquisition that we had proposed. 

‘I think the CMA vindicated its position but still created a pragmatic path forward for innovation and investment.’

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Now Microsoft boss praises CMA after Call of Duty takeover temper tantrum



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