FTC's legal bid may cause Microsoft to abandon Activision merger

Microsoft may abandon its $68.7 billion merger with Activision if a federal judge grants the FTC's request for a preliminary injunction. The FTC has challenged the deal in its own internal administrative courts, seeking a specific preliminary injunction that would prohibit Microsoft from merging with Activision for the duration of the administrative lawsuit. Microsoft's lawyers say that this preliminary injunction spells doom for the merger, as the proceedings before the ALJ would last until at least December 2023, and the process between the ALJ's recommendation and the FTC's final vote could take another year.