Pushing Copilot on customers raises antitrust concerns as the end of Windows 10 forces hardware purchases and customer frustrations mount.

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Microsoft's aggressive embedding of Copilot into Windows 11 and Microsoft 365 is generating significant customer backlash and drawing FTC antitrust scrutiny. Users report Copilot is difficult to disable and is being prioritized over security and performance updates. The end of Windows 10 support compounds frustration, as Windows 11's hardware requirements (TPM 2.0, modern CPUs) force many users to buy new PCs just to maintain security updates. The FTC is investigating whether Microsoft illegally bundles products, charges cloud exit fees, and creates compatibility barriers to stifle competition — with Copilot's deep integration seen as a potential new form of digital tying. Microsoft defends the integration as a technical necessity, but faces growing regulatory, reputational, and commercial risks.

Microsoft’s Copilot push irks customers, stirs FTC

Welcome to the Data Harvesting wars.

Nothing has changed in Microsoft’s policies over the past 30 years. They first came under scrutiny from antitrust regulators for their free Internet Explorer built into the operating system. Now they’re trying to do the same with Copilot. Stepping on the same rake twice is typical of greedy Microsoft.
By the way, I installed the first beta of Copylot in my IDE and deleted it a week later for its aggressiveness – ignoring my settings, it popped up as the default assistant, and it was impossible to change it. It’s not surprising that other users react the same way.