Tim Cook Reportedly Called Nancy Pelosi and Other Members of Congress to Warn Against Passing Antitrust Bills

Apple CEO Tim Cook personally called U.S. Speaker Nancy Pelosi and other members of Congress to ask for a delay in considering new antitrust legislation proposals that seek to undo tech giants' market dominance, according to The New York Times.

tim cook data privacy day

The antitrust bills were rushed, he said. They would crimp innovation. And they would hurt consumers by disrupting the services that power Apple’s lucrative iPhone, Mr. Cook cautioned at various points, according to five people with knowledge of the conversations.

U.S. House lawmakers this month debuted sweeping bipartisan antitrust legislation in the form of six different bills aimed at major tech companies like Apple, Amazon, Facebook, and Google. The legislation targets the companies' market power in the areas of online commerce, advertising, media, and entertainment. One piece of legislation in particular, the non-discrimination bill, would prevent Apple from blocking users from deleting pre-installed apps.

Pelosi reportedly pushed back against Cook's concerns about the proposed legislation, and challenged the Apple chief to "identify specific policy objections to the measures".

Cook is also said to have spoken with other unnamed members of Congress to "deliver a warning" on the repercussions of the proposed antitrust legislation, should it pass into law.

The report says Apple and other tech companies are paying lobbying groups to communicate to lawmakers their vehement opposition to the bills, arguing there will be dire consequences for the industry and the country if the proposals become law.

Morgan Reed, the president of the App Association, a trade organization sponsored by Apple and other tech and telecom companies, said in a letter to lawmakers on Tuesday that breaking up platforms and "limiting the services they can provide for our member companies would harm your constituents."

The bills would apply to businesses that have a market capitalization of $600 billion and at least 50 million monthly active users in the United States.

If passed, they would overhaul competition laws that have not been revisited for decades and would lead to significant changes in the tech industry. The House Judiciary Committee is expected review the five bills at a hearing on Wednesday.

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Top Rated Comments

laudern Avatar
57 months ago
Pelosi, the biggest cancer in US politics.
Score: 45 Votes (Like | Disagree)
swingerofbirch Avatar
57 months ago
It's pretty audacious if Tim Cook is threatening that Apple's software quality could get even worse.
Score: 45 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Khedron Avatar
57 months ago
So Tim Cook threatened repercussions against US citizens if democratically elected officials didn’t accept his demands.

Who had “Apple becomes terrorist organisation” in their 2021 disaster bingo card?
Score: 31 Votes (Like | Disagree)
bsamcash Avatar
57 months ago

All these would've gone away if Apple reduced their cut to 15% or less....
I doubt it. A review like this has been long over due. It was going to happen sooner or later.
Score: 18 Votes (Like | Disagree)
UBS28 Avatar
57 months ago
Who cares about pre-installed apps. And what happens if someone deletes the “App Store”? You cannot download the App Store, if you don’t have the App Store on your iPhone anymore.

Did the government checked what the customers want? I am sure most people are fine with having pre-installed apps on their phones.
Score: 17 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Abazigal Avatar
57 months ago
All these would've gone away if Apple reduced their cut to 15% or less....
Epic would not have settled for anything less than the ability to offer their own App Store on iOS, where they would not only pay 0% to Apple, but also be able to host other apps and charge developers a commission of their own.

At this point, the only thing that Apple can do is fight. Continue to fight and continue to win. This bill is still many many years from being passed and everyone is acting like it’s a done deal and Apple is screwed.
Score: 16 Votes (Like | Disagree)