This case study explores Microsoft Teams' strategic response to Zoom's rapid rise during the COVID-19 pandemic. It highlights the ways in which Microsoft leveraged its customer base, expertise in enterprise software, and integration with the Microsoft 365 suite to challenge Zoom in the video communications market. The case highlights the playbook Microsoft has used many times over the past three decades to compete against challengers who established a first-mover advantage. It covers two phases of the competitive battle between Microsoft Teams and Zoom. The first phase began with the launch of Microsoft Teams in 2017 and ended in March 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic helped Zoom dominate the video communication market. The second phase of the battle focuses on how Microsoft Teams counterattacked to gain market share against Zoom.
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Case Study|
February 17 2024
Microsoft Teams versus Zoom: Challenging the Challenger
This was prepared by Professor Mohanbir Sawhney.
Publisher: Emerald Publishing
Received:
April 25 2025
Accepted:
April 25 2025
Online ISSN: 2474-6568
© The Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University
2024
Northwestern University
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Article history
Received:
April 25 2025
Accepted:
April 25 2025
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Citation
Sawhney M (2024;), "Microsoft Teams versus Zoom: Challenging the Challenger". Kellogg School of Management, Vol. ahead-of-print No. ahead-of-print. https://doi.org/10.1108/case.kellogg.2025.000022
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