Spotify’s CEO Daniel Ek has intensified his criticism of Apple, alleging that the tech giant is deliberately circumventing the European Union’s Digital Markets Act (DMA), Bloomberg is reporting.
In a recent interview, Ek described Apple’s compliance efforts as a “farce,” accusing the company of employing a “well-established pattern of delaying and stalling” to evade the DMA’s stringent regulations.
The DMA, enacted to promote fair competition within the digital market, imposes strict guidelines on major technology firms, often referred to as “gatekeepers.” These guidelines are designed to prevent anti-competitive practices and ensure consumer choice.
Ek’s remarks come at a critical juncture, as EU competition authorities, led by Commissioner Teresa Ribera, are poised to assess Apple’s adherence to the DMA by the end of March. The Act empowers regulators to impose fines of up to 10% of a company’s global annual revenue for non-compliance.
However, the EU’s assertive stance has elicited strong reactions from U.S. officials. President Donald Trump recently issued a memorandum condemning the EU’s penalties on American tech companies as “overseas extortion,” threatening retaliatory tariffs in response.
Despite these external pressures, Ek urges European regulators to remain steadfast. “It is time for Europe to show that we are going to enforce the law that’s already been passed,” he asserted.
Spotify’s grievances with Apple are longstanding. In 2019, the company filed an antitrust complaint with the European Commission, accusing Apple of imposing unfair restrictions on rival music streaming services. This led to a €1.8 billion fine against Apple in March 2024 for anti-competitive App Store practices.
Apple has refrained from directly addressing Ek’s recent comments. However, the company has previously expressed concerns about the potential risks associated with third-party app stores, citing incidents where alternative platforms have distributed content that violates Apple’s content policies.
The EU has acknowledged the ongoing proceedings against Apple, stating that investigations will conclude once the cases have reached sufficient maturity.
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They used to say that America innovates, China imitates and Europe regulates but now China and US somewhat moved from that stereotype. China doesn’t just imitates anymore and US lost his shine in the field of innovation. It seems that Europe is still holding firm on the regulation as a basis of the economy.