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EU’s Vestager Set to Discuss Digital Regulation with US Big Tech CEOs

By  |  January 7, 2024
EU’s Vestager Set to Discuss Digital Regulation with US Big Tech CEOs

European Union antitrust chief Margrethe Vestager is scheduled to meet with top executives from leading technology companies, including Apple, Alphabet, Broadcom, and Nvidia, during her visit to the United States next week. The meetings, taking place in San Francisco and Palo Alto on Thursday and Friday, will focus on European digital regulation and competition policy.

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    Vestager’s discussions come at a crucial time, just a month after she resumed her role following an unsuccessful bid to lead the European Investment Bank. Antitrust experts anticipate that Vestager will adopt a tougher stance in both merger and competition investigations, signaling potential challenges for companies under scrutiny.

    The lineup of executives set to meet with Vestager includes Apple CEO Tim Cook, Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai, and its Chief Legal Officer Kent Walker, Broadcom CEO Hock Tan, and Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang. Additionally, Vestager will engage with OpenAI’s Chief Technology Officer Mira Murati and its Chief Strategy Officer Jason Kwon.

    Related: EU’s Vestager Sees No Need For Regulation In The Metaverse

    The key focus of the discussions will be European digital regulation and competition policy, reflecting the growing significance of technology companies in the global market. Vestager’s meetings hold particular importance as they coincide with ongoing investigations, such as Apple’s offer to allow rivals access to its tap-and-go mobile payments systems to settle Vestager’s probe and potentially avoid a substantial fine.

    The European Commission is expected to seek feedback from rivals and customers later this month, although a final decision has not been reached, according to sources familiar with the matter. Vestager’s meeting with Alphabet on January 11 is notably timed with an adviser to Europe’s top court set to offer a non-binding recommendation on whether to accept or reject Alphabet unit Google’s appeal against a EUR2.42-billion (USD2.6 billion) EU antitrust fine related to market abuse in its shopping service.

    Source: Borneo Bulletin