View: Microsoft can flip the antitrust script

SAN FRANCISCO: Microsoft took its antitrust lumps in the 1990s – and that might be playing to its favor now. The software giant has been on a little acquisition spree lately as other Big Tech competitors are relegated to the sidelines. With revenue jumping 12% in the first quarter compared with the same quarter last year, in part helped by the pandemic, the $1.6 trillion company can take advantage of its competitors being distracted by D.C.

Microsoft had another strong quarter driven by cloud computing. Revenue in its Azure division grew by nearly 50% in the quarter that ended Sept. 30, helping Satya Nadella’s firm beat analyst expectations as net income surged by 30% from a year earlier. Microsoft is now the No. 2 player in the cloud sector, behind Amazon.com and ahead of Google, which was just sued by the Justice Department.