Microsoft has shied clear of regulatory and legislative pressures at a time of growing calls for a break up of big tech companies. The likes of Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) Facebook Inc. (NASDAQ:FB), Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN) and Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOGL) are under immense pressure given the amount of power they wield in their respective fields of operations.

Microsoft has so far been left out of the antitrust conversation, something that explains why it is one of the best performing tech stocks after 35% rally since the start of the year. The lack of regulatory scrutiny has seen the software company emerge as the most valuable company in the world valued at about $1.06 trillion.

However, one would be mistaken to think that Microsoft has had a clean bill of health in relation to antitrust scandals. Unlike the other tech companies that are staring billions of dollars in fines over antitrust concerns, the software giant has already been there and paid its fair share.

In the 1990s and 2000’ Microsoft was the subject of increased scrutiny from regulators in the U.S and Europe. The company went on to settle a number of issues over claims it engaged in monopolistic practices given its dominant position on business software. Its ownership of Windows, as well as Internet Explorer, also elicited scrutiny forcing the company to settle a number of charges.

Microsoft Edge On Antitrust issues

The tech giant emerged from the antitrust concerns stronger than ever with a gigantic hoard of cash. With approximately $131.6 billion in cash, Microsoft is in position to fend off any charge thrown at it. The fact that the company emerged from the entire ordeal without being broken up leaves it well positioned to fend off any challenge going forward.

Microsoft can now rest given that regulators have switched their attention to the likes of Google and Amazon that continue to dominate the search and e-commerce business, respectively. Facebook has also found itself at crosshairs, given its dominance of the social networking landscape.

The fact that Microsoft is no longer much of a consumer tech company as is the case with the other tech companies has helped shield it from regulatory pressures. The company is also not dominant in its many businesses as it faces stiff competition from Amazon, Oracle Corporation (NYSE: ORCL), and IBM (NYSE: IBM) when it comes to cloud computing.