European antitrust regulators have ordered Apple to open its closed ecosystem to competitors, requiring the company to grant rival makers of phones, headphones, and headsets access to its technology for better connectivity. The move also demands that external developers receive timely access to technical documentation.
The order comes with significant penalties, including fines as high as 10% of Apple’s global annual sales, should non-compliance be reported. In a statement, Apple expressed concerns that the decision would harm its products and slow innovation.
Meanwhile, SoftBank has announced plans to acquire Ampere Computing for $6.5 billion, further solidifying the Japanese conglomerate’s AI investments. Masayoshi Son, SoftBank’s chairman, stated that the acquisition will help accelerate his vision of Artificial Super Intelligence through breakthrough computing power.
US state governors have also made moves to influence tech executives. California Governor Gavin Newsom has been sending burner phones to CEOs with businesses in his state, while Delaware lawmakers are considering a bill to reduce transparency and ease conflicted transactions for controlling shareholders like Mark Zuckerberg and Elon Musk.
Source: https://fortune.com/2025/03/20/what-the-european-commissions-order-means-for-apple