Apple CEO Tim Cook Uses His Star Power to Fend Off Antitrust Threat; Steve Jobs mantra ditched

tech.hindustantimes.com:

Apple Inc. Chief Executive Officer Tim Cook wasn't fully sold on having a team of Washington lobbyists a decade ago. Like Steve Jobs, his predecessor and mentor, Cook believed in the mantra that Apple's slick products should do the talking. But Apple's hands-off era in the nation's capital is over. 

Cook has become one of the country's most politically active tech CEOs in recent years as Apple struggles to fend off antitrust legislation gaining traction in Congress. The company is ramping up its lobbying spending and hiring well-connected former congressional aides. And it's cozying up to powerful Washington figures, often deploying Cook to make Apple's arguments directly to lawmakers.

The antitrust measure, which could come to a vote in the Senate before its August recess, would bar tech giants from using their platforms to undermine rivals. One provision seeks to break Apple's stranglehold on its App Store and could cost the company billions of dollars.

Apple is spending more than ever on federal lobbying. It reported a record $4.6 million in the first half of this year, $1.5 million more than its first-half figure a year ago. Though Apple disclosed Wednesday that its second-quarter lobbying expenses dipped to $1.9 million, the $2.7 million it spent in the first quarter was about 85% higher than the same period last year.

Since the beginning of 2021, Apple has registered three new lobbying shops with ties to key lawmakers in the antitrust fight. It's also pulling lobbyists directly from the Capitol's corridors, bringing in-house a former aide to Senator Amy Klobuchar, the Minnesota Democrat leading the fight against Apple and other tech behemoths. 

Apple disclosures show that its roster of in-house and outside