I would say that's kind of a conspiracy-y explanation. Big companies in Munich either have their campuses on the outskirts of the city so that people can commute and park without flooding the city or they have it in the heart of the city as that is seen as more prestigious.

Lots of companies have flip flopped based on this, and that's what happened in MS case.

Tbh not saying MS didn't play dirty in general, but not necessarily in this.