Axios offers a bit of informed prognostication about what technology CEOs are likely to say when they testify before a House of Representatives committee looking into antitrust issues on Monday.
Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, Axios suggests, is likely to delivery the following message: We're big because we've always given users what they want — fast delivery, wide selection and good prices.
"Bezos is likely to point to Amazon's ability to get goods to Americans' homes during the pandemic as a public service," Axios writes. "He will also need to defend the company against criticism of how it runs its third-party marketplace."
Here's what the other execs are likely to say:
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg: Congress should pass better laws. Let's work together and do that!
"Zuckerberg will likely argue that it's Congress's job to write laws to bolster election security and establish consistent nationwide online privacy standards."
Apple CEO Tim Cook: Our App Store creates opportunity for countless developers — and Google's Android controls more of the smartphone market, anyway.
"The company says its tightly controlled approach keeps iPhone apps safe, maintains their quality, and protects users' privacy … Expect Cook to cite the size and vitality of the app market and the continued enthusiasm of Apple's customers."
Google CEO Sundar Pichai: We won search by doing it well — why punish us for that?
"Google doesn't dispute its clear dominance in search, nor of certain corners of the online advertising market," Axios writes. "But it has long maintained in both cases that this is just a natural outgrowth of delivering value."
- KC's View:
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Axios suggests that "many of the loudest and most potent lines of attack on tech … can be countered with facts, but they're too politically useful to simply be dropped." And I'd agree with that - especially in the 100 days before a national election.
The bottom line, Axios writes, is that "the CEOs will get a chance Monday to rebut criticisms, argue that they're a net good for the nation, and tell lawmakers directly that antitrust enforcement is the wrong remedy for their ills."
They'll have to argue that tech is good for us, and that it isn't all going to end up like this:
