Apple CEO Tim Cook has traveled to Washington, D.C. this week, for scheduled meetings with top Republican lawmakers, reports Bloomberg. The meetings come as Apple looks to build a relationship with the GOP as the party prepares to take control of the House of Representatives at the start of 2023.
Cook has meetings scheduled with Ohio’s Jim Jordan, California’s Darrell Issa, and Washington’s Cathy McMorris Rodgers. Jordan and McMorris Rodgers are expected to be involved with committees overseeing the tech industry, heading up the House Judiciary Committee and the House Energy and Commerce Committee, respectively.
Apple is dealing with antitrust legislation in the U.S., which could result in changes to how Apple’s App Store operates. There are several bipartisan bills being considered that could affect Apple’s operations.
Earlier this week, Twitter CEO Elon Musk claimed that Apple has threatened to “withhold Twitter from its App Store” and has stopped advertising on Twitter. While Cook’s meetings were scheduled before Musk’s remarks, Twitter could be a topic of discussion, especially with Ohio’s Jim Jordan, who has been a Musk supporter.
Cook also has meetings scheduled with Republican Senator John Cornyn from Texas, Democratic Senator Martin Heinrich from New Mexico, and Democratic Senator Brian Schatz from Hawaii, where the topics will likely include the App Store legislation, as well as questions about the company’s manufacturing operations in China.
