Honestly Active Directory is so underrated. I think having the ability to run all your machines Inna shared collective with group policies and high controls really helped Windows adoption.

Even today there isn't anything quite like Windows polices. Sure you can get the same effect on Linux but it takes a lot more work and requires more scripting and customization. I think Apple and Android have equivalent management tools but I don't really know how they compare in practice.

Nobody disputed that their current software works.

Choosing software is mostly choosing a tool get a job done.

The issue in this case is that the vast majority of companies will choose a tool made by a company that will now be bending their will to a fascist dictator whose cronies cannot be trusted to do rudimentary operational security.

There was always the nebulous stranglehold that the US might have on the IT security of any company that chooses Microsoft, because you cannot build Windows and the vast majority of their software from source, or audit them.

From the IT security perspective of Europe it's exactly like all zero-days and backdoors known and implemented by the US intelligence agencies were just handed over to North Korea.