A hot potato: In a scathing critique of tech industry leaders, Epic Games founder and CEO Tim Sweeney has accused prominent executives of cozying up to President-elect Donald Trump in an attempt to influence anti-competitive policies. Sweeney’s comments, shared on the social media platform X, highlight growing concerns about the relationship between big tech and the incoming administration.
Sweeney’s remarks follow pledges from several major tech companies, including Google and Apple, to donate $1 million to Trump’s inauguration. Apple CEO Tim Cook, who has forged a personal relationship with Trump, is said to be making the contribution personally. This sudden shift in allegiance has not gone unnoticed, with Sweeney calling out the hypocrisy of tech leaders who previously aligned themselves with Democratic ideals.
The Epic Games CEO’s criticism is rooted in his ongoing battles with Apple and Google over smartphone software distribution. Sweeney has long advocated for the ability to sell games on iPhones and Android devices without being forced to use the official app stores and payment processing systems of these tech giants. He argues that the current system unfairly monopolizes the mobile software market.
After years of pretending to be Democrats, Big Tech leaders are now pretending to be Republicans, in hopes of currying favor with the new administration. Beware of the scummy monopoly campaign to vilify competition law as they rip off consumers and crush competitors.
– Tim Sweeney (@TimSweeneyEpic) January 10, 2025
While Sweeney has made some progress in Europe, the situation in the United States remains largely unchanged. Last year, he vowed to continue fighting until achieving “an ultimate victory” over what he describes as Apple and Google’s “totally broken vision for the world.”
The tech industry’s apparent pivot toward the Trump administration is not limited to Apple and Google. Amazon and Meta have also made million-dollar donations to the inauguration. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg has taken the additional step of relaxing Facebook’s content moderation policies – a move widely interpreted as an effort to gain favor with the new administration.
Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang has also expressed enthusiasm for the incoming administration, stating that he would “love to personally congratulate Trump” and pledging that the GPU maker will do everything in its power to support the new administration’s success.
The shift in attitude from tech leaders has not gone unnoticed by Trump himself. In December, the President-elect remarked on the change, saying, “The first term, everybody was fighting me. In this term, everybody wants to be my friend”.
Awesome to see Roblox finally fighting the Apple tax. I hope that the current Epic v Apple contempt of court proceeding stops Apple’s ludicrous scare screens and junk fees, so that all apps can send users to web based payments and pass on the savings like this. https://t.co/Qi20cmDCtw
– Tim Sweeney (@TimSweeneyEpic) November 26, 2024
However, concerns remain about the potential impact of this newfound alliance between big tech and the Trump administration on antitrust enforcement. While law firm Skadden predicts that aggressive antitrust action is unlikely to disappear entirely during Trump’s second term, there are expectations of a softer approach to such cases.
FTC Chair Lina Khan has expressed hope that companies like Amazon and Meta won’t receive “sweetheart deals” in upcoming antitrust trials. This sentiment underscores the ongoing tension between regulatory bodies and tech giants, even as the latter appear to be aligning themselves more closely with the incoming administration.
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