Elizabeth Warren wants to break up Apple, too.

[Eugene]

Source: The Verge

ELIZABETH WARREN WANTS TO BREAK UP APPLE, TOO

“Either they run the platform or they play in the store.”

By Nilay Patel Mar 9, 2019, 6:19pm EST

Senator Elizabeth Warren proposed breaking up Amazon, Google, and Facebook yesterday in a post published on Medium. Her plan, which comes as the Democratic presidential primary contest continues to heat up, would classify any company that runs a marketplace and makes more than $25 billion a year in revenue as a “platform utility” and prohibit those companies from using those platforms from selling their own products.

Under Warren’s plan, Amazon would not be able to sell Amazon Basics products on the Amazon retail store, Google would not be able to promote its own products in Google Search, and Facebook would have to split apart from Instagram and Whatsapp.

But Warren’s proposal didn’t mention Apple, which clearly matches the same set of criteria: the company makes far more than $25 billion a year in revenue, and it operates the iOS App Store, in which it distributes its own apps.

I spoke to Senator Warren after she appeared on stage at SXSW in Austin, Texas today, and she told me explicitly that she thinks Apple should be broken apart too — specifically, that it should not get to both run the App Store and distribute apps in it. “It’s got to be one or the other,” she said. “Either they run the platform or they play in the store. They don’t get to do both at the same time.”

-snip-

Read more: https://www.theverge.com/2019/3/9/18257965/elizabeth-warren-break-up-apple-monopoly-antitrust

[RandySF]

1. Apple is not a utility or monopoly.

They should not be punished for being popular.

[Blue_true]

2. That is the problem that I have with going after companies just because they are large.

We should focus on how they compete and step in where needed, otherwise, stay out of the way.

[Hassin Bin Sober]

4. Agreed. And tax the fuck out of the cash they have stashed overseas

[Blue_true]

5. Yes. Hiding revenue in tax havens is BS. bs

[Snackshack]

3. Not sure...

I agree with this but...with companies becoming global entities and amassing so much wealth and power that they are bigger then some countries and their governments is there a point where they need to be broken up?

[Kablooie]

6. Apple running its own store has an advantage.

They vet all the apps to make sure they don't have hidden malware or features that could interfere with the computer system. If an app is found to have a problem it isn't allowed on the store. Since Apple's operating system is proprietory an outside company wouldn't have access to the internal workings and so couldn't check the apps as throughly as Apple can.

[Maru Kitteh]

7. And HERSHEY'S! And Kleenex! And Budweiser! And Morton Salt! AND KEEBLER! THOSE DAMN ELVES

ARE GETTIN' TOO BIG FOR THEIR BRITCHES!

[Cha]

8. What Did Apple Do?!

[KayF]

13. violated antitrust laws

in her judgement.

[BannonsLiver]

9. I'm more interested in seeing these companies pay their fair share of tax than breaking them up.

[brooklynite]

10. Next up: JK Rowling...

She's earning too much money. She can write the books, but all the movie treatments and merchandising will have to be spun off.

[Renew Deal]

11. Weird that she attacks American companies

And not the Samsungs of the world.

[crazytown]

12. Apple "should not get to both run the App Store and distribute apps in it."

This is no biggie. Apple takes it’s applications off the App Store, makes them optional installs. Apple does not sell any ios apps.