The vast majority of the funding for the App Association, which brands itself as the leading voice for thousands of app developers around the world, funding comes from Apple.
Emily Birnbaum for Bloomberg News:
The tech giant isn’t a member of the association. But it plays a dominant behind-the-scenes role shaping the group’s policy positions, according to four former App Association employees who asked not to be named discussing internal matters.
In fact, critics note, the association’s lobbying agenda tracks closely with Apple’s — even when it’s at odds with app developers… The group, known as ACT, says it’s not beholden to Apple, but confirmed that it derives more than half its funding from the company. The former employees say the actual percentage is much higher.
The relationship between Apple and ACT illustrates how big companies quietly pour money into outside groups that promote their agenda in Washington. ACT representatives regularly testify in Congress, file court briefs in defense of Apple’s positions and host annual “fly-in” meetings for developers with lawmakers.
ACT executives defended the role of the company. ACT President Morgan Reed said in an interview that it “doesn’t pass the laugh test” to say the association is fronting for Apple. “Our job is to make sure we’re paying attention to the way that government can have an impact, unintended or otherwise, on all of those small businesses making cool software products,” Reed said.
MacDailyNews Note: The App Association’s website state that it “gives a voice to small technology companies. ACT’s “mission is to help members promote an environment that inspires and rewards innovation while providing resources to help them raise capital, create jobs, and continue creating incredible technology.” Find out more about ACT, The App Association here.
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[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader “Fred Mertz” for the heads up.]
The best voice to the small app developer is and has been the Apple App Store. It gives exclusive access to 1 billion users using a common set of application specific parameters for all. These users have more spending money than probably any other group of billion people. And this billion consider the App Store to be all but one hundred percent safe.
Of course this would not be an opinion shared by Facebook and Epic as well as a vocal unhinged Apple hater brigade on the internet.
The App Store has also been responsible for so many apps never even seeing the light of day.
Game streaming apps, emulators, Kodi, just to name a few.
Apple doesn’t like how your app looks, or what it does? Tough, they can just reject it outright.
You always have an option. Go make your app for that other companies OS.
Childish comment and just flat out wrong. You do know how to read a licensing agreement, correct?
Back to the topic. This is how politic’s works people. If it wasn’t for Apple’s funding, the ACT would probably fail to exist or, they wouldn’t have enough funding to set up shop, pay for attorney’s, line politicians pockets, or just generally keep the lights on and be able to actual meetings. Not everyone will work for free.
Also, without Apple having some skin in the game who do you think might fund ACT. Meta? Twitter? Google? MS? Epic? Are those the people you think should be pulling the strings on what is right for developers and hardware makers?
So Dantheman, Toyota is evil because my Honda parts won’t fit it or they aren’t as pretty? Please……