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I don't necessarily disagree with this ruling, but it's sad that EU governments now take in more revenue from fining US tech companies than from taxing local te

by nradov 11mo ago

I don't necessarily disagree with this ruling, but it's sad that EU governments now take in more revenue from fining US tech companies than from taxing local tech companies. An entire continent is on the path of becoming parasites instead of builders. Will they ever adopt a growth and abundance agenda again?

amarcheschi 11mo ago
Maybe companies that break eu/local rules could respect the law
- arpinum 11mo ago
  Hard to respect vague laws. Apple can't read the regulators' minds and figure out their interpretations, or instantly pivot when regulators change their minds.
  - Steve16384 11mo ago
    So, like being a citizen then?
  - dns_snek 11mo ago
    You don't need to read minds to know that abusing your dominant market position in one market to disadvantage your competitors in a different market (advertising) has a very high likelihood of breaking competition rules. That's a textbook example of anti-competitive behavior. When did they change their minds, can you provide a link to a previous regulatory decision which approved this behavior?
  - jltsiren 11mo ago
    All laws are inherently vague. Some actions are clearly legal and some are clearly illegal. Between them, there is a gray zone, where it can be impossible to say in advance what's legal and what isn't. If you are an amoral profit maximizer, like the average publicly traded company, it's often rational to take risks by entering the gray zone. Sometimes nobody cares that you do that. Sometimes you manage to get a favorable court ruling. And sometimes the expected gains outweigh the eventual fines. It's almost always easy to comply with the laws by playing it safe. But shareholders don't like that.
jncfhnb 11mo ago
If the US tech companies stop behaving this way, maybe.
- nradov 11mo ago
  Sure. I'm not here to defend bad behavior by US tech companies. Just pointing out the sad contrast in terms of lack of growth and innovation by EU tech companies.
  - tacker2000 11mo ago
    How is the EU tech company lack of growth related to fining companies for not obeying the law? Yes, Europe is a laggard in tech, but I don't see any relationship here. Even if they wouldn't fine these companies, EU would still lag, and now that they are fining them, EU companies are not at an advantage, nor growing faster.
  - hnbad 11mo ago
    The US is in the middle of a recession if you exclude the AI bubble. Even if you include the AI bubble it's barely avoiding stagflation. I'm not sure "growth and innovation" accurately serves as a contrast between the US and EU tech companies right now.
  - wkat4242 11mo ago
    Europe just doesn't have the "move fast and break things" mentality because we don't want things like privacy broken. At least not without the user's unpressured choice which is what GDPR is all about. If we allowed the same kind of unrestricted development we'd have more money and growth but we'd be just like the US. Which I personally don't want for sure. I'm glad to be living here. It's not all about money and economy.
- vnchr 11mo ago
  Or the US tech companies could abandon EU markets
  - piva00 11mo ago
epolanski 11mo ago
US tech companies already avoid paying jackshit by moving to Ireland. So apple Ireland sells services and devices to apple italy on which the profit is all in Ireland.
geon 11mo ago
> EU governments now take in more revenue from fining US tech companies than from taxing local tech companies Do you have a source for that, or did you just make it up?

by nradov 11mo ago

amarcheschi 11mo ago

Maybe companies that break eu/local rules could respect the law

arpinum 11mo ago
Hard to respect vague laws. Apple can't read the regulators' minds and figure out their interpretations, or instantly pivot when regulators change their minds.
- Steve16384 11mo ago
  So, like being a citizen then?
- dns_snek 11mo ago
  You don't need to read minds to know that abusing your dominant market position in one market to disadvantage your competitors in a different market (advertising) has a very high likelihood of breaking competition rules. That's a textbook example of anti-competitive behavior. When did they change their minds, can you provide a link to a previous regulatory decision which approved this behavior?
- jltsiren 11mo ago
  All laws are inherently vague. Some actions are clearly legal and some are clearly illegal. Between them, there is a gray zone, where it can be impossible to say in advance what's legal and what isn't. If you are an amoral profit maximizer, like the average publicly traded company, it's often rational to take risks by entering the gray zone. Sometimes nobody cares that you do that. Sometimes you manage to get a favorable court ruling. And sometimes the expected gains outweigh the eventual fines. It's almost always easy to comply with the laws by playing it safe. But shareholders don't like that.

jncfhnb 11mo ago

If the US tech companies stop behaving this way, maybe.

nradov 11mo ago
Sure. I'm not here to defend bad behavior by US tech companies. Just pointing out the sad contrast in terms of lack of growth and innovation by EU tech companies.
- tacker2000 11mo ago
  How is the EU tech company lack of growth related to fining companies for not obeying the law? Yes, Europe is a laggard in tech, but I don't see any relationship here. Even if they wouldn't fine these companies, EU would still lag, and now that they are fining them, EU companies are not at an advantage, nor growing faster.
- hnbad 11mo ago
  The US is in the middle of a recession if you exclude the AI bubble. Even if you include the AI bubble it's barely avoiding stagflation. I'm not sure "growth and innovation" accurately serves as a contrast between the US and EU tech companies right now.
- wkat4242 11mo ago
  Europe just doesn't have the "move fast and break things" mentality because we don't want things like privacy broken. At least not without the user's unpressured choice which is what GDPR is all about. If we allowed the same kind of unrestricted development we'd have more money and growth but we'd be just like the US. Which I personally don't want for sure. I'm glad to be living here. It's not all about money and economy.
vnchr 11mo ago
Or the US tech companies could abandon EU markets
- piva00 11mo ago

epolanski 11mo ago

US tech companies already avoid paying jackshit by moving to Ireland. So apple Ireland sells services and devices to apple italy on which the profit is all in Ireland.

geon 11mo ago

> EU governments now take in more revenue from fining US tech companies than from taxing local tech companies Do you have a source for that, or did you just make it up?