The lobbying practices of Tech giants are not new. Since their beginnings, these large companies have spent a lot of money to promote their interests to political decision-makers.
This strategy is, however, framed by a duty of transparency, whether it is the United States orthe European Union.The Hilljust shared the numbers for Uncle Sam in 2021 and they reveal some surprises.
Record spending for Amazon and Facebook
This is particularly the case for Apple which interests us the most here. Thus, the Cupertino company only spent $6.5 million last year to promote its interests in Washington. This total, which may seem high to most of us, is actually lower than in 2020: $6.7 million.
On the other hand, the Apple brand's competitors have not skimped on resources. Like Amazon and its various subsidiaries which invested $20.3 million to try to influence Congress. Facebook (Meta) isn't far behind at $20.1 million. These amounts constitute a record for these two companies.
Google (Alphabet) spent $9.8 million. If the web giant has already spent more money on its lobbying campaigns, this total is nevertheless up 27% from one year to the next, our colleagues point out.
This more modest investment than its competitors in these influence operations does not prevent Apple from trying to assert its interests. Moreover, the Cupertino company recently sent a letter to parliamentarians to oppose the various antitrust bills that they are examining. They argue that this could harm consumer safety and the protection of their privacy.
i-nfo.fr - Official iPhon.fr app
By : Keleops AG
