Hot potatoes: In a scathing criticism of tech industry leaders, Epic Games founder and CEO Tim Sweeney accused prominent executives of pandering to President-elect Donald Trump in an attempt to influence anti-competitive policies. Sweeney’s comments, posted on social media platform X, highlight growing concerns about the relationship between big tech and the new administration.
Sweeney’s remarks followed pledges by several major tech companies, including Google and Apple, to donate $1 million to Trump’s inauguration. Apple CEO Tim Cook, who has developed a personal relationship with Trump, is said to be contributing personally. This sudden shift in allegiance did not go unnoticed: Sweeney called out the hypocrisy of tech leaders who had previously espoused the ideals of the Democratic Party.
The criticism of the Epic Games CEO stems from his long-running battles with Apple and Google over the distribution of smartphone software. Sweeney has long championed the ability to sell games on iPhone and Android devices without having to use the tech giants’ official app stores and payment processing systems. He argues that the current system unfairly monopolizes the mobile software market.
After years of pretending to be Democrats, Big Tech leaders are now pretending to be Republicans in hopes of currying favor with the new administration. Beware of monopolists’ nasty campaign to shame competition law as they rip off consumers and crush competitors.
— Tim Sweeney (@TimSweeneyEpic) January 10, 2025
While Sweeney has made some progress in Europe, the situation in the United States remains largely unchanged. Last year, he vowed to continue the fight to achieve “ultimate victory” over what he describes as “a completely broken vision of the world of Apple and Google.”
The tech industry’s apparent pivot to the Trump administration isn’t limited to Apple and Google. Amazon and Meta also made millions in donations for the inauguration. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg went the extra mile by softening Facebook’s content moderation policy — a move widely interpreted as an attempt to curry favor with the new administration.
Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang also expressed enthusiasm for the incoming administration, saying he “wants to personally congratulate Trump” and vowing that the GPU maker will do everything in its power to support the success of the new administration.
The change in the attitude of technical leaders did not go unnoticed by Trump himself. In December, the president-elect marked the change, saying, “The first term, everyone fought me. In this term, everyone wants to be my friend.”
Great to see Roblox finally fighting the Apple tax. I hope that the current Epic v. Apple contempt proceedings will stop Apple’s ridiculous scare screens and garbage fees so that all apps can direct users to web payments and pass on the savings that way. https://t.co/Qi20cmDCtw
— Tim Sweeney (@TimSweeneyEpic) November 26, 2024
Still, concerns remain about the potential impact of this new alliance between big tech and the Trump administration on antitrust enforcement. While law firm Skadden predicts that aggressive antitrust actions are unlikely to disappear entirely during Trump’s second term, there are expectations for a softer approach to such cases.
FTC Chairwoman Lina Hahn expressed hope that companies like Amazon and Meta won’t get “sweet deals” in future antitrust lawsuits. The sentiment underscores the ongoing tension between regulators and the tech giants, even as the latter appear to be aligning more closely with the incoming administration.
