Microsoft bigwig hoping to voice frustration over $69 billion buyout block to UK politicians

After being frustrated in its $69 billion bid to acquire Activision Blizzard in the UK, Microsoft’s president, Brad Smith, is due to meet with UK Chancellor Jeremy Hunt this week to personally pursue the company’s case. . This follows EU consent to the deal, a matter to which the UK regulator, the CMA, responded quickly.

That is according to a new Bloomberg Report (thanks, VGC), Microsoft confirmed that Smith will be in London, giving a scheduled talk on “the potential of AI and the need for its thoughtful regulation.”

In addition, there will be a private discussion on the matter of “the proposed acquisition of Activision Blizzard”. The meeting could prove to be a controversial one, as Hunt has previously publicly criticized the CMA for its decision to state that the EU was Better place to do business.

Microsoft’s threatened position is designed to intimidate, as it recognizes that “extreme” options, such as withdrawing Activision Blizzard from the UK market or bypassing the UK altogether and going ahead with the deal without . As VGC points out, at least in theory, even if Activision were to close up shop and move to another European country, a distributor would still be able to sell its games in the UK. So this is an option but a double-edged one, denying the company a wider market in the process.