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Margrethe Vestager, the European Union’s antitrust chief, has recently held meetings with the chief executives of tech giants Apple, Alphabet, and Qualcomm to discuss regulation and compliance with competition policies, particularly in the European digital market, as reported by Reuters on Friday (Jan. 12).
Vestager shared insights into her discussions with each CEO on the social media platform X, according to the report. In her meeting with Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO, they explored various topics, including the company’s responsibility to allow the distribution of its apps beyond its proprietary App Store. The discussions also covered ongoing competition cases, such as the one involving Apple Music, the company’s music streaming service.
Sundar Pichai, the head of Alphabet and Google, engaged with Vestager on the design of choice screens and self-preferencing in relation to the Digital Markets Act (DMA), according to the report. They also addressed the Google AdTech antitrust case. The DMA outlines that companies with over 45 million monthly active users and a market capitalization of 75 billion euros must be considered gatekeepers. As gatekeepers, these companies are mandated to ensure interoperability with competitors and allow users to choose which apps to pre-install on their devices.
While details of Vestager’s discussion with Cristiano Amon, the head of Qualcomm, were not disclosed, she emphasized the significance of chips in the EU’s digital transition and economic security, as per the report. Vestager recognized that chips are integral to more than just the digital transition and underscored the importance of meeting with Amon.
It was reported on Jan. 5 that Vestager would meet with several American Big Tech CEOs to discuss competition policy and digital regulation in the EU. Notably, she has yet to meet with the executives of Nvidia, Broadcom, and OpenAI.
In another recent development, Vestager defended the EU’s Artificial Intelligence Act in a conversation with the Financial Times (FT) in late December. Despite facing criticism, Vestager argued that the proposed act will provide “legal certainty” for tech startups building AI technology. She reassured that the AI Act will not hinder innovation and research but rather enhance them by offering a clear framework.
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