Steve Troughton-Smith"We have a number of Apple issues. I find them very serious, I was very surprised that we would have such suspicions of Apple being noncompliant”
"This is not what we expected of such a company”
https://mastodon.social/@macrumors/112640420132181098
Paraphrased: we're not just mad, but we're also disappointed 😛
Me too, EU. Me too.
From later in the interview, specifically re questions on Apple’s Core Technology Fee:
“We have a toolbox of fines, of doubling fines, of potential breakup of companies”
"We have a very strong toolbox to ‘punish’”
…
"I expected [noncompliance] cases… I'm a bit surprised we have so many cases, so soon, and with more in the pipeline”
John Gruber@stroughtonsmith Good luck to the EU breaking up a US company.
@gruber the part that's in the US can stay in the US, but there are some big parts that live in the EU — like the iTunes Store, and Apple's consumer apps. That makes the App Store infrastructure itself a big, juicy EU-based target that would make actual sense to go after, since that's the part of Apple that’s blatantly breaking the laws anyway
@stroughtonsmith What’s your take on the incoming EC regime after the recent elections? Less aggressive, more pro-business? Or no change?
Christof Stadler@gruber @stroughtonsmith Don’t ask. This political trend will cause much worse issues than anti-business legislation.
@didole @stroughtonsmith What I do understand, from my side of the pond, is that the electoral wave was driven by anti-immigration sentiment. But I don't know how that translates regarding business policy.
Alfonso Betancort@gruber @didole @stroughtonsmith Wishful thinking non the less. FANG will still be on the hook for anticompetitive practices.
MarkV@gruber @didole @stroughtonsmith The incoming coalition will be 90% the same as the existing coalition: centre-right + centre-left + liberals (EPP, S&D, RE). Every comparison with US politics would be flawed, but imagine if the moderate wing of the Dems and the moderate wing of the GOP teamed up for a compromise administration.
There was an anti-immigration surge in the sense that hardline parties like Freedom Caucus and MAGA equivalents got more votes, but not enough to put them in power.
@gruber @didole @stroughtonsmith The most likely candidate for president of the European Commission (the executive branch), is the current EC president Von Der Leyen.
The most likely candidate for president of the European Parliament (the legislative branch, so like Speaker of the House) is the current EP president Roberta Metsola.
The big open question is whether VDL will be confirmed by all member states or not (Hungary likes to play hard to get and they can block the process).
@gruber @didole @stroughtonsmith Also a question whether VDL includes the Greens in her coalition or not. There was clear voter sentiment that the EU went too far with the Climate agenda in the last administration and they may scale back on that side to give farmers and businesses some leeway.
On that front yes I could see them being more business friendly since there is talk of wanting stronger European companies to compete with China et al. But I don’t think that will impact Apple. /end
Drew McCormack@gruber @didole @stroughtonsmith There was a small surge in the far right, but mostly business as usual. If anything, the rising right is isolationist and protectionist, and unlikely to favor multinationals.
@gruber @didole @stroughtonsmith Hey John, just as an FYI follow-up to this: Von Der Leyen was today reconfirmed for a 2nd term as president of the EC. She published her policy guidelines today, which you could see as sort of comparable to a US president’s State of the Union outlining general policy direction.
Doesn’t go super specific, but thought you might be interested nonetheless.
@markv @gruber @didole
relevant:
"We will start by focusing on the
implementation and enforcement of the
digital laws adopted during the last mandate.
Tech giants must assume responsibility for
their enormous systemic power in our society
and economy. We have begun the active
enforcement of the Digital Services Act and
the Digital Markets Act. We will ramp up
and intensify our enforcement in the
coming mandate.”