Tech giants have repeatedly stated they’d welcome authorities regulation — if it’s the proper regulation, after all. But confronted with 5 antitrust payments that might unwind what the House Judiciary Committee described as Apple, Amazon, Google and Facebook’s “monopoly power,” Big Tech is bringing out the massive lobbying weapons.

Apple CEO Tim Cook himself known as Speaker Nancy Pelosi to “deliver a warning” that that the “rushed” antitrust payments may disrupt the iPhone, according to The New York Times, and that’s not all:

“Executives, lobbyists, and more than a dozen think tanks and advocacy groups paid by tech companies have swarmed Capitol offices, called and emailed lawmakers and their staff members, and written letters arguing there will be dire consequences for the industry and the country if the ideas become law,” the NYT wrote.

There’s a rising sense that the present administration has a real curiosity in combating tech monopolies — a degree maybe made most clearly when Biden selected distinguished antitrust scholar and Amazon critic Lina Khan to steer the Federal Trade Commission. She was sworn in final week.

It’s commonplace for tech firms to dive deeper into lobbying as of late, as you’d count on now that they’re essentially the most invaluable firms on this planet, and we’ve seen their exterior affect overwhelm voters and legislators on the native degree earlier than. Uber and Lyft received large after backing the most costly measure in California historical past, utilizing their very own apps as an unfair benefit, and Arizona’s controversial app retailer invoice mysteriously disappeared after tech firms stepped in. An Apple lobbyist managed to scare California legislators away from a right-to-repair invoice in 2019, too.

Pelosi apparently wasn’t having it, although, at the least not on the decision. She pushed again towards Cook, in accordance with the Times’ sources.