CEOs of Facebook, Amazon, Apple and Google to Testify at House Antitrust Hearing
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Big Tech’s four biggest executives may soon be in the congressional hot seat, with the CEOs of Facebook, Apple, Amazon and Google set to appear before a House Judiciary Committee hearing as part of its antitrust investigation.
Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg, Amazon’s Jeff Bezos, Apple’s Tim Cook, and Google’s Sundar Pichai (who also is chief exec of parent Alphabet), are scheduled to testify at the hearing. There’s no date scheduled yet for their appearance, or whether the CEOs will be there in person or via teleconference given the resurgence of COVID-19 cases in the U.S.
The appearance of the tech giant’s leaders was first reported by New York Times contributing opinion writer Kara Swisher, who called the quartet “the 4 Horsemen of the Techopolypse.”
Per the Times, the House committee’s yearlong probe has included “eight round-table discussions, 93 requests for information, 43 experts testifying and five hearings.”
“It’s the first major look at antitrust in this industry in 50 years and a lot of people worldwide are watching how lawmakers deal with tech,” Rep. David Cicilline (D-R.I.) told Swisher. “But throughout, we know it is impossible to properly conclude this without hearing from the decision makers themselves.”
After the House Judiciary Committee announced the probe into Big Tech in June 2019, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) called it “a long overdue investigation to determine if dominant digital platforms have harmed Americans in the marketplace & the voting booth.”
Large technology firms are also the target of antitrust investigations by the Justice Department, the FTC and various state attorneys general.
Pictured above (l. to r.): Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg, Apple’s Tim Cook, Amazon’s Jeff Bezos, Google’s Sundar Pichai
