The European Union’s antitrust chief, Margrethe Vestager, is scheduled to hold meetings with the chief executives of major tech companies, including Apple, Alphabet, Broadcom, and Nvidia, during her visit to the United States next week. This move comes a month after Vestager resumed her position following an unsuccessful bid to head the European Investment Bank. Antitrust experts anticipate a more stringent approach from Vestager in both merger and competition investigations.
Vestager’s meetings are set to include discussions with Apple CEO Tim Cook, Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai, and its chief legal officer Kent Walker, Broadcom CEO Hock Tan, and Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang in San Francisco and Palo Alto on Thursday and Friday. Additionally, she will meet with OpenAI’s Chief Technology Officer Mira Murati and Chief Strategy Officer Jason Kwon.
The primary focus of these meetings will be European digital regulation and competition policy. Vestager, known for her assertive stance on antitrust matters, is expected to address key issues related to the rapidly evolving tech landscape and its impact on competition.
Of particular interest is the meeting with Tim Cook, as Apple had extended an offer last year to allow rivals access to its tap-and-go mobile payments systems, used for mobile wallets. This move was part of an effort to settle an antitrust investigation by the European Commission and potentially avoid a significant fine. The European Commission is expected to seek feedback from rivals and customers this month, although a final decision has not yet been made.
Vestager’s meeting with Alphabet on January 11 coincides with the day when an adviser to Europe’s top court is scheduled to offer a non-binding recommendation on whether judges should accept or reject Alphabet unit Google’s appeal against a €2.42 billion ($2.6 billion) EU antitrust fine. The fine was imposed for market abuse related to Google’s shopping service.
The series of high-profile meetings underscores the EU’s ongoing scrutiny of major technology companies and its commitment to ensuring fair competition and adherence to antitrust regulations. Vestager’s engagements with key industry leaders are likely to have implications for future regulatory actions and the evolving landscape of competition in the digital sector.
