The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has formally launched its investigation into Microsoft’s business software to look at whether the provider of office productivity and database software should be categorised with strategic market status (SMS).

The CMA will be looking at whether Microsoft is making it difficult to integrate its products with that of other providers, which limits the ability of UK customers to gain access to the best products at the most competitive prices. The investigation will also consider Microsoft product bundling, a practice which can lead to Microsoft’s own products working more seamlessly together than if certain products are replaced by best-in-class third-party alternatives to solve specific business challenges.

The Windows software ecosystem is what has made Microsoft the dominate company that it is today and, as it builds out more and more artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities, there is a very real risk that new entrants and alternative AI engines may be unable to compete.

This is another aspect of the CMA investigation, where the regulator will assess how AI competitors are able to integrate with Microsoft’s business software, giving customers access to AI software across suppliers to best suit their needs. Another area of investigation is default settings in software, which can prevent customers from switching to alternative business software providers.
 
The CMA’s investigation will examine whether Microsoft has SMS in business software and consider whether it can use that position to limit customer choice. An SMS designation would enable it to consider whether to intervene on a key concern from its cloud market investigation – particularly Microsoft’s use of software licensing, which was found to be reducing competition in cloud services.

The CMA has been investigating concerns that Microsoft uses its dominant position in software (such as Windows Server and SQL Server) to limit competition in the cloud market by making it more expensive or difficult to host these products on rival platforms such as AWS or Google Cloud.

In March, the CMA announced that following engagement with Amazon Web Services (AWS) and Microsoft, the two companies agreed to make changes to cloud egress fees and product interoperability. Microsoft and AWS had been the subject of the CMA’s “cloud services market investigation”, which concluded last July and could have seen both companies designated with SMS.

With the Microsoft business software investigation, the CMA said it wants UK customers to be able to access the best tools in the market, and mix and match software and AI services from a broad range of competing suppliers. It said the investigation will examine Microsoft’s provision of a range of business software products used by UK organisations, including productivity software, personal computer and server operating systems, database management systems and security software.

Last month, Microsoft 365 Commercial cloud reported a quarterly revenue increase of 19%, and its Productivity and Business Processes business posted revenue of $35bn, an increase of 17% over the same period last year. Although there are commercial and open source alternatives to the Microsoft office productivity suite, it remains the de facto standard thanks, in part, to the dominance of the Windows operating system on business PCs. 

Sarah Cardell, chief executive at the CMA, said: “Business software is a cornerstone of how the UK economy functions, from small businesses to major public services and infrastructure. Our aim is to understand how these markets are developing, Microsoft’s position within them and to consider what, if any, targeted action may be needed to ensure UK organisations can benefit from choice, innovation and competitive prices.”

The CMA’s nine-month investigation will include responses from customers, rivals and challenger technology, along with evidence submitted by Microsoft. It aims to reach a decision by February 2027. 

Cardell has previously stated that an SMS designation would enable the CMA to address issues concerning Microsoft’s licensing practices in the cloud and ensure a level playing field as AI becomes embedded into business software. The CMA hopes the investigation will encourage a competitive and resilient business software market for UK businesses and the public sector.

InstaFarm’s patented 4-by-4-inch compostable trays come pre-filled with about a half-inch of soil (“sourced from Amish Country in Pennsylvania,” according to InstaFarm) and organic, non-GMO seeds, with the nutritional info for the final-product microgreens listed on top. They come in over a dozen varieties of nine-packs for $23, including individual cultivars, smoothie- and salad-specific blends, and even plain trays for growing your own greens or garden starts. It is worth noting that the trays are easily saturated paperboard designed for one-time use.

For comparison, Vego’s hydroponic microgreens planter, which I used last year, is just $60 for two units, while Gardyn’s is $100. Neither produces a volume of greens anywhere close to the InstaFarm, but again, $500 can buy a lot of store-bought microgreens.

InstaFarm has an app, but it doesn’t add much to the experience, other than the ability to activate night mode (which then turns off the light for up to 10 hours). More helpful is the button on the top of the unit that comes with a sticker describing how many presses are required for any function you’d need.

Every 90 minutes, a metal nozzle arm pops out and moves along each shelf, sensing each tray and its plants’ height, humidity, and temperature. Once the nozzle is done sensing, it dispenses an appropriate blast of water, much like the spray heads in the produce section of the grocery store. If you have cats, they may be very interested the first time they hear the nozzle whirring and moving slowly over the shelves. (The first quick, unexpected spray was an entertaining event in my house.) Sometimes, this sensing was more accurate in theory than in practice—for some reason, the sensor consistently overshot the watering volume for the red beet greens (but only the beet greens), causing the tray to overflow daily.

After a few weeks, I noticed the nozzle making a slight mechanical noise once it finished its rounds, as it slowly retracted back to its resting position. It wasn’t loud—it reminded me of the sound the bullwheel makes at the top of a ski lift—but because the InstaFarm was sitting on my dining room table, it was noticeable. And I should also note it was on my dining room table because, despite the website’s claims the unit can fit under most kitchen cabinets, it was just slightly too tall for mine. This made it difficult to site, as it does take up an approximate 6-by-18-inch footprint. Given how easy it is to clip the greens off for salads, smoothies, and other meals, its most natural habitat is probably the kitchen, so you may want to measure more than once to make sure it will fit your space.

Greens Aplenty

Just as the directions claimed would happen, I had lush, usable microgreens in about five days. For my first growing round (I’ve now been through four), I was overly excited and placed a tray on every slot. Unless you have a large family that eats microgreens for every meal, I don’t recommend this. I tried gamely to use them all, but after the traumatic experience of putting a tray’s worth of radish microgreens in a strawberry smoothie (so spicy, so radishy), I decided to share some of my first-grown trays with friends.

Big money and powerful interests have entirely rebranded drugs like cannabis, mushrooms, and ketamine in the 21st century.

Today, millions of Americans can buy their pot legally in places that resemble Apple Stores or take powerful psychoactive substances in plush therapeutic settings. Cocaine, however, has yet to see the kind of tech-fueled makeover that changed the public perception of those drugs—but these luxury products in my Instagram feed may just give it a glow-up.

Though you might not instantly see them as drug paraphernalia, on closer inspection, many of these products are offering to serve a need that no real person has ever had. Consider, for example, this video demonstrating use of a SLYD pouch, a small leather pocket with a magnetic clasp. The ad shows a person loading a small quantity of a powdered substance into the $39 pouch, and a caption exhorts the viewer: “Stop using that sketchy bag for your electrolytes.”

The visual comparison with a resealable plastic bag containing whitish electrolyte power should make it clear what is seemingly being suggested here. The custom inscription of the word “BAG,” common drug slang, on the leather sachet dispels any lingering uncertainty. Because while the world has never wanted for a convenient way to carry electrolytes around in one’s pocket, a miniature wallet for cocaine—or other powder drugs like ketamine and MDMA—does have some consumer appeal.

It turns out that such accessories are widely (albeit stealthily) marketed on Instagram. An online store called Magic Items sells its own take on the small magnetized leather pouch; it’s called a Wildcard, comes in various sizes priced from $60 to $100, and is stamped with the logo of a rabbit in a jester hat. The company’s Instagram page also features a demonstration with electrolyte powder, though some of the comments on the post give the game away: “Will a dog still be able to smell through it?” asked one prospective customer. Another post shows a Wildcard next to a plastic dime bag, advertising it as “anti clog” and “luxury,” whereas the more common means of carrying “electrolytes” is “hard to open” and “single use.”

“In 2022, something changed,” reads a page on Magic Items’ website explaining the invention of the Wildcard. “Everyone wanted to be out again—at parties, on rooftops, in the desert—feeling good with music thumping and friends nearby. The world was alive, and everything just wanted to work better. We all needed a water-tight container that was low profile and stylish, but there was no great option available.”

A similar brand, FattyPack, has drawn comments from Instagram users observing that its product is well-suited for holding drugs, and recently posted a demo on how to attach a key to the bag—a useful tool if you’re going to be scooping powder out of it.

The makers of the SLYD pouch did not respond to a request for comment. Via Instagram DM, a representative for Magic Items denied that the company is selling drug paraphernalia or promoting the use of illicit substances, both of which would violate Meta’s advertising policies and guidelines on restricted goods and services. “It is a multi-use bag for perishables,” the rep said of the Wildcard. In an Instagram DM, a FattyPack representative says: “Since we don’t promote our product for drug use, we’ve had zero issues with Meta ads. While some customers may use it that way, we leave that to individual interpretation.”

Meta spokesperson Erica Sackin tells WIRED that it is investigating a number of the brand accounts mentioned in this article. The company said it routinely conducts sweeps in order to crack down on users who violate their policies on illicit drugs.