alt Hacker News> EU regulation majorly backfiring
I wouldn't be surprised if large corporations like Apple and Google intentionally use these tactics to pressure regulators through their European users. Siri AI is a prime example. While it's a complicated issue, I certainly wouldn't put such maneuvers past them.
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They absolutely do this.
Giving their partners the time they need to finalise their releases legally seems like a... completely normal and correct thing to do? Why does everything have to be a big conspiracy?
There should be a rule that any assertion of conspiracy must at least have some evidence.
I worked at MS and was involved in several decisions to not ship in the EU because it just wasn’t worth the internal and external regulatory headache. There was no secret agenda, Satya never told me to stick it to the EU by withholding a feature in the hopes the masses would clamor for it and demand regulatory changes, which would eventually allow us to… ship the feature in a decade or so.
I’m super sympathetic to the EU’s intent, but their execution is so obviously self-defeating that it doesn’t take elaborate conspiracies to explain corporate response.
It can't ever just be the fault of the regulation, of course.
It's funny that they keep trying, it has never once worked. I think US companies are projecting their dislike for regulation and keep being surprised that EU citizens don't agree. We do not love the EU government, but it sometimes does a good thing and we do like these, especially versus the anti-consumer crap that US companies like to pull.