Complaint filing notice linked above.
/u/marketrent said:Jessica Conditt covers a complaint filed by the Federal Trade Commission:
- In its arguments to the FTC over the past two years, Microsoft said it would treat Activision Blizzard as a vertical acquisition and suggested that it wouldn't need to institute layoffs, since there would be no redundancies.
- On January 30, Microsoft announced it was cutting 1,900 jobs across Activision Blizzard, ZeniMax and Xbox after identifying "areas of overlap" specifically between Microsoft and Activision Blizzard. This discrepancy is the core of the FTC's complaint.
- "Microsoft's recently-reported plan to eliminate 1,900 jobs in its video game division, including in its newly-acquired Activision unit, contradicts the foregoing representations it made to this Court," the FTC's complaint said.
- "Specifically, Microsoft reportedly has stated that the layoffs were part of an 'execution plan' that would reduce 'areas of overlap' between Microsoft and Activision, which is inconsistent with Microsoft's suggestion to this Court that the two companies will operate independently post-merger."
- In Wednesday's complaint, the FTC argued that the recent layoffs also undermine its own ability to order relief for employees who were negatively affected in the acquisition.
FTC accuses Microsoft of misrepresenting its Activision Blizzard plans after layoffs
The FTC is accusing Microsoft of contradicting its pledge to allow Activision Blizzard to operate independently post-acquisition.
www.engadget.com
Close if old. I did a cursory search for "FTC" and "Microsoft". Nothing.