Judge Jackson orders Microsoft broken into two companies — Gates's biggest legal defeat

U.S. District Judge Thomas Penfield Jackson issued a sweeping remedy order requiring Microsoft to be split into two separate companies: one selling the Windows operating system and one selling all other software products. Jackson had previously ruled that Microsoft had illegally maintained its Windows monopoly and unlawfully tied Internet Explorer to the OS. The breakup order was the most severe antitrust remedy sought against a technology company since the AT&T split of 1984 and is widely cited as a key catalyst in Gates's decision to step down as CEO.
Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_v._Microsoft_Corp.
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