Wesley Hilliard
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg says Apple's DMA compliance makes it "difficult for anyone" to adopt, including Meta.
The European Union created the Digital Markets Act to combat companies designated as gatekeepers from monopolizing their platforms. Apple's compliance with the DMA will allow third-party app stores, reduce commissions to 17%, and implement a Core Technology Fee of 0.50 Euro per first install of an app after 1 million installs.
According to TechCrunch, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg voiced his thoughts on Apple's compliance with the DMA during an earnings call. He referred to the rules as "onerous" and expects developers to be unable to adopt them.
"I don't think that the Apple thing is going to have any difference for us because I think that the way that they've implemented it, I would be very surprised if any developer chose to go into the alternative app stores that they have," Zuckerberg said on the earnings call. "They've made it so onerous, and I think, so at odds with the intent of what the EU regulation was that I think it's just going to be very difficult for anyone — including ourselves — to really seriously entertain what they're doing there."
Unrelated to this story, but also mentioned as part of Meta's earnings, the company lost $4.65 billion on it's Reality Labs. It is the division responsible for developing the "metaverse" and is in direct competition with Apple's upcoming Apple Vision Pro.
Zuckerberg's complaints echo other tech executives complaining about Apple's implementation. He joins Microsoft, Spotify, and Epic Games in calling out the new rules.
The EU's DMA rules go into effect in March. Apple has iOS 17.4 in beta with its changes in place, ready for the deadline to comply.
Marko Zivkovic
Christine McKee
Malcolm Owen
William Gallagher
Amber Neely
8 Comments
WHAT??? No Meta on Apple devices?
Awesome!
Isn’t “onerous” the word Steve Jobs used to describe Facebook’s terms when Apple wanted to integrate something of Facebook’s into iTunes? (I think)
So build your own phone everyone wants… oh wait.
Lizard Zuck too busy embarrassing himself in front of the house panel.
out of his league. garbage-boy
Meta sells their users data to third party for advertisements. None of it goes through the App Store. At the same time software distribution goes completely through Apple for free.
Why would they go for a third party store and risk costs? Unless the third party store would pay Meta for it.
Who would a third party store would even bother to host them? Ok probably as a pull for users. But that would only work if it were exclusively on that 3rd party store and that would effectively limit Meta's exposure to their users significantly. I - as a European - will simply not accept any third party store on my device and I'm probably not alone.
Last but not least Marc Zuckerberg can show Apple how this is done right and open their (47% commision) Meta Quest to third party stores and show us how this is done right. We are waiting. (Oh wait they don't need to, because their Quest user base is too small).