I'd like to share my response here: To whom it may concern, I am writing to express my concerns with the tech industry, and to urge you to vote for the Open A

I'd like to share my response here: To whom it may concern, I am writing to express my concerns with the tech industry, and to urge you to vote for the Open App Markets Act and American Innovation and Choice Act. I am a software engineer at a Silicon Valley startup company, and a lifelong member of Silicon Valley startup culture. Nearly every job I have ever had has been at some type of startup, and have worked on projects in health care, renewable energy, and artificial intelligence. I am no crank or Luddite. Over my life I have watched Silicon Valley become less and less about genuine innovation and more about cynical plays for money and power, with the aesthetics of innovation providing a fig leaf - carpet baggers in black turtle necks. For many, the goal is no longer to create winning products that create new industries. The goal is to lure people and businesses into walled gardens, and to trap them there. We see this in the rise of so-called Platform Capitalism. Platform Capitalism is a threat to consumer choice and freedom, and a threat to small businesses; it is a new form of monopolizing tactic. Under the guise of creating a space for innovation and competition, individual users and businesses alike are lured on to the platform, where they are subject to all manner of abuses. App stores charge exorbitant rates (as much as 30%) to process transactions; many feel credit card transaction fees are too rich at 1 to 3%. These companies often compete on their own platforms, creating stupefying conflicts of interest. Amazon is particularly egregious, illegally using market data to select their Amazon Basics products. This is a betrayal of the small business owners who entrusted Amazon with their livelihood. I once again urge you to vote for the Open App Markets Act and American Innovation and Choice Act. Thank you for your time and public service.