Epic Games founder and CEO Tim Sweeney has criticized tech executives who are fawning over US President-elect Donald Trump, accusing them of trying to advance anti-competitive policies that would harm consumers.
Sweeney claims that big tech leaders, such as Google and Apple, have been trying to curry favor with the new administration by pretending to be Republicans. He warns that this could lead to a “scummy monopoly campaign” to vilify competition law and ultimately rip off consumers.
Sweeney has been battling Apple and Google over issues related to smartphone software distribution, including their refusal to allow developers to sell games on non-official stores without paying a fee. He believes the companies are unfairly monopolizing the mobile software market and is seeking changes in US antitrust laws to address this issue.
Despite concerns from law firms that antitrust enforcement may become softer under Trump’s administration, Sweeney remains committed to fighting for change. Some tech leaders, such as Amazon’s CEO Jeff Bezos’ proxy Mark Zuckerberg, have made large donations to the inauguration, raising questions about their motivations.
Sweeney’s comments come as some tech leaders, like Nvidia’s Jensen Huang, are seeking to make amends with Trump and express their support for his administration.
Source: https://www.pcgamer.com/gaming-industry/epic-ceo-tim-sweeney-says-tech-leaders-are-pretending-to-be-republicans-to-gain-favor-with-trump-skirt-antitrust-laws-and-ultimately-rip-off-consumers-and-crush-competitors