Apple CEO Tim Cook Testifying In U.S.House Antitrust Hearing Over App Store Policies

At today's antitrust hearing with the U.S. House Judiciary Antitrust Subcommittee, Apple CEO Tim Cook emphasized that Apple does not par...

At today's antitrust hearing with the U.S. House Judiciary Antitrust Subcommittee, Apple CEO Tim Cook emphasized that Apple does not participate in anticompetitive behavior, claiming that the company does not ""have a dominant market share in any market where we do business."

Today's hearing rather focused on Apple's App Store policies including it takes a 30% cut of in-app purchases from app developers, demands them to use its billing system, enforcing rules that benefit themselves, as well as discriminating between smaller and larger app developers.

Cook, in response, pointed out that Apple treats all developers the same, with open and transparent rules. As for what was stopping Apple from potentially raising its ‌App Store‌ commissions and fees, Cook says Apple has never done that since the App Store launched.

"There is a competition for developers just as there is competition for customers," Cook said. "We have fierce competition on the developer side and the customer side. Essentially, it's so competitive I'd describe it as a street fight for market share in the smartphone business."

When a congressman asked if Apple has ever retaliated against or bullied developers who have gone public with "frustrations" about the App Store, Cook responded no and that "it's strongly against company culture.

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai, and Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos are also being questioned at Today's Antitrust hearing, with most of the questions that have so far gone to Pichai and Zuckerberg.