Parmy Olson, Columnist

Meta and Apple Just Got Slapped by Europe’s New Rulebook

The financial penalties pale against the changes they must make to their businesses.

April 23, 2025 at 3:03 PM UTC

Parmy Olson is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist covering technology. A former reporter for the Wall Street Journal and Forbes, she is author of “Supremacy: AI, ChatGPT and the Race That Will Change the World.”

BELGIUM-EU-TECHNOLOGY-REGULATION — Photographer: KENZO TRIBOUILLARD/AFP

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Another day, another European Commission fine against Big Tech — a phenomenon Silicon Valley views as little more than a speeding ticket. But Wednesday’s modest1 penalties against Apple Inc. and Meta Platforms Inc., totaling €700 million ($798 million), belie a more meaningful smackdown by the continent’s antitrust regulator that could force them to rewire their business models.

Assuming the Trump administration pays more attention to the headline numbers than the fine print, the commission may have cleverly threaded the needle: avoid provoking Trump as he threatens tariffs, while forcing Silicon Valley giants to change their behavior.