Big Tech CEOs Prepare to Defend US Congress for Its Growing Power

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – CEOs of four of the largest U.S. tech companies plan to avert criticism in the Congressional hearing next week in the use of market power to hurt rivals, including the latter’s own Which states that they themselves are facing competition and they are so dominating the claims.

Facebook, Amazon.com Inc, Google and Apple CEOs of Alphabet are set to speak before the House Judiciary Committee’s Antitrust Panel on 27 July. They will virtually present their testimony, according to sources familiar with their plans.

The panel is questioning companies as part of its broader investigation into whether they actively work to harm and eliminate smaller rivals, while not always making the best choices for their customers.

The high-profile hearing, which will bring together Amazon’s Jeff Bezos, Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg, Apple’s Tim Cook and Google’s Sundar Pichai, will be a pivotal moment in the growing backlash against Big Tech in the United States and setting a face. Informal talks between officials of both parties and skeptical MPs are likely.

Many tech lobbying groups and industry critics say the hearings are unlikely to address key conflicting issues or bring new information to the table, however.

After facing criticisms about the way Apple manages its App Store, there are likely to be Apple quizzes about how it presents obstacles to newcomers. Apple told Reuters that it would argue that it does not have to control market share for apps. The iPhone manufacturer sees its stores as a convenience designed to ensure the safety and reliability of their phones.

Apple will address issues such as the approval process for the store – a sore point with longtime developers, who have stated that their app is held without warning – and alleges that it will be able to collect data about the location of the phone, such as Does not share key functions.

Other companies also said they would still face competition.

A source familiar with Amazon’s plans said Jeff Bezos would talk about consumers who have options for online shopping and the coronovirus epidemic has boosted e-commerce overall – including big retail rivals like Walmart Huh.

He said he would also talk about short sellers on his third-party marketplace platform and “how they are moving despite competition from Amazon,” the source said. How Amazon uses small vendors’ data to benefit its own business is being investigated.

Bezos also alleged that the company would take advantage of the epidemic by limiting inventory sold by short sellers, but abstained from bringing controversial issues such as negotiations about breaking the company.

Another source said that Facebook’s Zuckerberg will also do a similar deal. They are expected to argue that the company has strong rivals, including Google and Amazon on the advertising side, and Twitter and TikTok in social media.

Zuckerberg is expected to renew Facebook’s call for government regulation in social media, election integrity, and privacy – areas where the company has been criticized.

Details of Google’s possible arguments were not available. But in recent weeks the firm has published blog posts and a whitepaper stating that it still faces a lot of competition and that the fees charged to advertising buyers and sellers are reasonable.

Amazon, Facebook and Google declined to comment.

Carl Szabo, vice president and general counsel of industry lobby group NetChoice, said, “Tech-tech critics can’t do much to appease anti-tech critics. This hearing is not about finding the truth but about making news Is in. ”