Apple CEO Tim Cook to Testify in U.S. Antitrust Hearing on July 27

by

Apple CEO Tim Cook will participate in an antitrust hearing held by the House Judiciary Antitrust Subcommittee on Monday, July 27 at 12:00 p.m. Eastern Time, the Judiciary Committee announced today. The hearing is part of an ongoing U.S. antitrust investigation that involves competition in digital markets.

timcooktulane
The hearing, labeled "Online Platforms and Market Power, Part 6: Examining the Dominance of Amazon, Facebook, Google and Apple," will also include Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, Alphabet/Google CEO Sundar Pichai, and Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg. There will be a live stream of the questioning available on YouTube.

Since the antitrust investigation launched last year, the House Judiciary Antitrust Subcommittee has been investigating tech companies. Apple's App Store policies have been under scrutiny, and Apple has been questioned about the removal of certain apps, how search ranking results are determined, how the in-app purchase mechanism works, whether apps are allowed include in-app links to non-Apple payment systems, and Apple's policies on setting non-Apple apps as default.

Ahead of the hearing the committee has been soliciting opinions from ‌App Store‌ developers and there has been a recent focus on the 30 percent cut that Apple takes from in-app subscription purchases. Cook is likely to be questioned about Apple's ‌App Store‌ policies, including the subscription-based rules that have recently made headlines.

In a statement, House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler and Antitrust Subcommittee Chairman David Cicilline said that it is essential to hear testimony from the CEOs of the four tech companies in the antitrust investigation.

"Since last June, the Subcommittee has been investigating the dominance of a small number of digital platforms and the adequacy of existing antitrust laws and enforcement. Given the central role these corporations play in the lives of the American people, it is critical that their CEOs are forthcoming. As we have said from the start, their testimony is essential for us to complete this investigation."

The investigation into Apple's ‌‌App Store‌‌ practices is in the early stages as the Justice Department is focusing resources on a separate investigation into Google's dominance in digital advertising, but the committee's goal with the hearing is to generate a report with recommendations on legislative action.

Tags: Apple Antitrust, App Store, Tim Cook

Popular Stories

Apple Wallet ID Illinois

Apple Plans to Expand iPhone Driver's Licenses to These 7 U.S. States

Wednesday December 24, 2025 8:40 am PST by
In select U.S. states, residents can add their driver's license or state ID to the Apple Wallet app on the iPhone and Apple Watch, and then use it to display proof of identity or age at select airports and businesses, and in select apps. The feature is currently available in 13 U.S. states and Puerto Rico, and it is expected to launch in at least seven more in the future. To set up the...
Read Full Article • 45 comments
iPhone Top Left Hole Punch Face ID Feature Purple

iPhone 18 Pro Launching Next Year With These 12 New Features

Tuesday December 23, 2025 8:36 am PST by
While the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max are not expected to launch for another nine months, there are already plenty of rumors about the devices. Below, we have recapped 12 features rumored for the iPhone 18 Pro models. The same overall design is expected, with 6.3-inch and 6.9-inch display sizes, and a "plateau" housing three rear cameras Under-screen Face ID Front camera in...
Read Full Article • 95 comments
maxresdefault

Where's the New Apple TV?

Monday December 22, 2025 11:30 am PST by
Apple hasn't updated the Apple TV 4K since 2022, and 2025 was supposed to be the year that we got a refresh. There were rumors suggesting Apple would release the new Apple TV before the end of 2025, but it looks like that's not going to happen now. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said several times across 2024 and 2025 that Apple would...
Read Full Article • 168 comments
iOS 26

iOS 26.2 Adds These 8 New Features to Your iPhone

Monday December 22, 2025 8:47 am PST by
Earlier this month, Apple released iOS 26.2, following more than a month of beta testing. It is a big update, with many new features and changes for iPhones. iOS 26.2 adds a Liquid Glass slider for the Lock Screen's clock, offline lyrics in Apple Music, and more. Below, we have highlighted a total of eight new features. Liquid Glass Slider on Lock Screen A new slider in the Lock...
Read Full Article
iOS 26

iOS 26.3 Brings AirPods-Like Pairing to Third-Party Devices in EU Under DMA

Monday December 22, 2025 3:20 pm PST by
The European Commission today praised the interoperability changes that Apple is introducing in iOS 26.3, once again crediting the Digital Markets Act (DMA) with bringing "new opportunities" to European users and developers. The Digital Markets Act requires Apple to provide third-party accessories with the same capabilities and access to device features that Apple's own products get. In iOS...
Read Full Article • 100 comments
maxresdefault

10 Mac Apps Worth Trying in 2026

Wednesday December 24, 2025 9:27 am PST by
2026 is almost upon us, and a new year is a good time to try out some new apps. We've rounded up 10 excellent Mac apps that are worth checking out. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. Alt-Tab (Free) - Alt-Tab brings a Windows-style alt + tab thumbnail preview option to the Mac. You can see a full window preview of open apps and app windows. One Thing (Free) -...
Read Full Article • 87 comments
iPhone Fold Vertical Feature

Why Apple's Foldable iPhone May Be Smaller Than Expected

Tuesday December 23, 2025 5:21 am PST by
Apple's first foldable iPhone, rumored for release next year, may turn out to be smaller than most people imagine, if a recent report is anything to go by. According to The Information, the outer display on the book-style device will measure just 5.3 inches – that's smaller than the 5.4-inch screen on the ‌iPhone‌ mini, a line Apple discontinued in 2022 due to poor sales. The report has led ...
Read Full Article • 195 comments
Foldable iPhone 2023 Feature Iridescent Search

Samsung Developing 'Wide Fold' With iPhone Fold-Like Design Ahead of Apple's 2026 Launch

Tuesday December 23, 2025 11:55 am PST by
Samsung is working on a new foldable smartphone that's wider and shorter than the models that it's released before, according to Korean news site ETNews. The "Wide Fold" will compete with Apple's iPhone Fold that's set to launch in September 2026. Samsung's existing Galaxy Z Fold7 display is 6.5 inches when closed, and 8 inches when open, with a 21:9 aspect ratio when folded and a 20:18...
Read Full Article • 85 comments

Top Rated Comments

fairuz Avatar
fairuz
72 months ago

App Store complaints are completely overblown. You want a healthy App Store? Pay up the 30%. I would have never made this much money for an app I made in a couple of weeks had Apple not invested billions into developer tools and the App Store.
I would totally agree if they were applying the rule fairly, but they aren't. They pick and choose who is exempt, like Netflix.
Score: 20 Votes (Like | Disagree)
AdonisSMU Avatar
AdonisSMU
72 months ago
Apples cozy relationship with Authoritarian governments was always gonna be a moral hazard.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
ouimetnick Avatar
ouimetnick
72 months ago
I hope the representatives ask meaningful questions and don’t waste everyone’s time asking stupid questions that a google search would answer.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Rogifan Avatar
Rogifan
72 months ago

App Store complaints are completely overblown. You want a healthy App Store? Pay up the 30%. I would have never made this much money for an app I made in a couple of weeks had Apple not invested billions into developer tools and the App Store.
So none of the $1000 iPhone or iPad Pro goes towards the App Store? The only thing that sustains it is Apple taking 30% of someone else’s revenues? Then why do they allow freemium apps in the store? My mother has a phone full of games and other apps she didn’t spend one cent on. And why do they allow Netflix, Spotify and others to get around paying 30% (or 15%)? I just re-installed my SiriusXM app today and you can’t do anything in the app unless you’re a subscriber and there is no option to subscribe in app. All you get when you launch the app is a login screen. So I guess Apple is A-OK with Sirius not paying up and having an app that doesn’t function unless you’re a subscriber?

I would totally agree if they were applying the rule fairly, but they aren't. They pick and choose who is exempt, like Netflix.
And don’t forget all the “free” apps which are the majority in the App Store. I pay to get rid of ads so Apple gets a cut of that but I’ll bet a lot of people don’t. Especially if the price to remove ads is more than $1.99.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Blackstick Avatar
Blackstick
72 months ago

I hope the representatives ask meaningful questions and don’t waste everyone’s time asking stupid questions that a google search would answer.
You give septuagenarian politicians a LOT of credit. This is a generation that can't figure out how to delete an app off their phone.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Rogifan Avatar
Rogifan
72 months ago

$1000 pays for several years of major operating system updates. Those updates include developer APIs. But they're no where close to what the App Store pays for.

Keep in mind, the iPhone SE is only $399 that includes ~5 years of operating system updates.

Freemium apps? They make Apple a ton of money through IAP. Less than 5% of people that use freemium apps actually pay money, yet Apple makes more money through freemium apps than paid apps.



Same with Slack. Same with Dropbox. If you want to make a Netflix/Slack/Dropbox/SiriusXM/Spotify competitor, you too can be exempt. Those apps are considered exempt categories listed in the guidelines.

Steve Jobs literally said on stage that Apple pays out of their pocket to host 100% free apps because both developers and Apple have the same goal: deliver as many apps as they can to the iPhone which appeals a lot of customers into buying iPhones.
You haven’t explained why it’s OK for companies like Netflix to pay Apple nothing. Or how an App Store mostly full of freemium apps jives with: ”You want a healthy App Store? Pay up the 30%.”.

I get why free apps exist. Apple knows most people won’t pay for apps and Apple wants an App Store with a huge quantity of apps they can brag about. And I get why Apple created a loophole for companies it competes with. Apple needs Netflix and Spotify more than they need Apple. Plus it keeps regulators at bay. But don’t anyone say the 30% is still justified because we all know it’s not. And Apple has shown it will reduce or cut it out all together if it’s in their business interest to do so. Also, I can’t think of one app on my iPhone or iPad that I downloaded because Apple promoted it. Ben Thompson calls Apple’s 30% cut “rent seeking” and he’s absolutely right. The biggest component of services revenue is App Store. And I’ll bet the biggest component of App Store is the IAP people pay to get rid of adds or do things in games. Is that something you would call insanely great?
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Read All Comments