“Apple spent $6.6 million on lobbying the U.S. government in 2018, after spending a record $7.1 million in 2017, according to disclosure forms filed with the Office of the Clerk of the U.S. House of Representatives,” Joe Rossignol reports for MacRumors.
“Apple’s lobbying expenses have increased significantly since the Trump administration assumed office two years ago, with the iPhone maker spending more than ever before to influence the current government on issues such as privacy, education, climate change, trade, immigration, tax reform, and patent reform,” Rossignol reports. “The largest amount Apple ever spent on lobbying [during] Obama’s administration in a single year was $4.6 million in 2016, his last year in office.”
Rossignol reports, “Apple also lobbied the government on the development of autonomous vehicle technologies, regulation of mobile medical applications, and distribution of video programming…”
Read more in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: $6.6 million is hardly a molecule in the Apple’s bucket.
Apple should spend time updating products, not lobbying social justice issues.
Google spent 21 million, Amazon 14 million, and Facebook 13 million.
Those companies will be the big winners and major decisions will go in their favor, not Apple’s. Apple needs to spend big money if it expects to get decent returns as those other companies do. It just shows how Apple doesn’t know how to play the lobbying/bribery game as well as those other companies do. Apple needs to buy as many crooked politicians as it can, so they’ll look the other way if Apple does something sneaky. Paying off politicians has worked out quite well for Facebook and Zuckerberg.
Paid lobbying should be illegal. But that won’t happen as long as all that dirty money is headed to the pockets of bought and paid for politicians.
It’s just business, as usual. It just so happens that those companies that spent more than Apple are also valued much higher than Apple and it’s probably not just a coincidence. Lobbying is just like paying for protection. With as little money as Apple is paying it’s no wonder it’s the most attacked major tech stock on WS.
What is amazing is how much bang companies get for the paltry monies spent on lobbying- retirement employment for Senators and Congressmen.
The party that rules in D.C. is the money party. It is sickening.
Tim, can you stay in cupertino and stay FOCUSED on Apple over political and social issues you want to speak upon. Get the work done that Apple, and it’s customers, desperately needs.
Signed a dedicated customer and shareholder. who is unhappy with the results under your leadership.