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发帖数: 7272 | 1 In 2011 Q1, Apple spent $560,000 lobbying the federal government. This is
roughly one third the amount on lobbying as its competitors. Search giant
Google spent $1.48 million in the first quarter, up from $1.38 million a
year ago, while Microsoft spent $1.72 million in the first quarter of both
2010 and 2011.
For reference, AT&T disclosed that it spent $6.84 million in federal
lobbying activities in the March quarter, significantly more than smaller
competitor Sprint. AT&T is currently engaged in securing federal approval
for a proposed $39 billion acquisition of T-Mobile USA.
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Apple Treats Politicians Much The Same Way It Treats CIOs
One recurring theme from many large companies is that Apple doesn’t act
like other enterprise technology companies. It’s a common complaint that
CIOs and IT leaders have been making for years. As Apple products have
entered more and more businesses, the refrain gotten louder.
According to Politico, Apple treats lawmakers in Washington in much the same
way and, in many ways, that’s causing similar reactions in the halls of
Congress. While Apple may be able to shrug of concerns about its approach to
businesses, it may not be so lucky when it comes Washington insiders.
In the business world, Apple can afford to buck the traditional relationship
between vendor and customer. Apple’s products are so iconic and popular
that business are forced to support iPhones, iPad, and MacBooks even if
Apple doesn’t give large companies product roadmaps and leaves a fair
amount of enterprise integration up to third-parties.
In Washington, however, Apple doesn’t have that kind of grassroots
insistence. In fact, the situation with lawmakers is almost the opposite.
Apple’s incredible success and ubiquity of its products make it a perfect
scape goat for lawmakers on either side of the aisle looking to highlight
anything from privacy, anti-trust measures, and the outsourcing and
offshoring of American wealth and jobs.
Apple does have a lobbying group, but it’s pretty small and underfunded
compared to other tech giants like Google and Microsoft. 10 tech companies
outspend Apple on lobbying efforts with Google spending the most – $5
million compared to Apple’s $500,000 during the first quarter of 2012. |
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