Apple Faces Backlash As Zuckerberg, Microsoft, Spotify And Epic Games Unite Against EU App Store Proposal

Meta Platforms Inc. META CEO Mark Zuckerberg has joined Microsoft Corp. MSFT in criticizing Apple's Alternative App Store proposal for European Union users.

What Happened: In a post-earnings conference call with analysts, Zuckerberg called out Apple Inc.'s AAPL proposal to comply with the European Union's Digital Markets Act, suggesting that Meta won't opt for it.

Zuckerberg said, "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."

According to Benzinga's findings based on the cost calculator on the Apple developer portal, an app with merely three million downloads would cost its developer $1.089 million in annual "Core Technology Fee," payable to Apple.

He added, "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."

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Why It Matters: Earlier on Monday, Xbox President Sarah Bond joined the chorus and called Apple's App Store proposal a "step in the wrong direction."

Apple's proposal has invited strong criticism from Spotify Technology SA SPOT CEO Daniel Ek, who called it a "complete and total farce."

"While Apple has behaved badly for years, what they did yesterday represents a new low, even for them."

Apple has also been at the center of another controversy – Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney accused the iPhone maker of non-compliance with court orders related to alternative payment options for apps and games on iOS.

Critics have also called it the "enemy #1" for its App Store related decisions.

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Photo courtesy: Anthony Quintano on Flickr