Breton Says Atos’s Problems Emerged After He Quit to Join EU

Thierry Breton has rejected any responsibility for the troubles at embattled Atos SE, the French IT company he ran for 10 years before becoming a European Union commissioner.

“I have no responsibility, zero,” Breton told members of the financial press association in Paris on Friday, adding that he left the company with no debt and in a good position to benefit from the rise of the cloud industry.

Breton, who was Atos’s chief executive officer until 2019, has faced criticism from politicians, bankers and media reports for contributing to the company’s problems as it looks for ways to ...