Apple CEO Tim Cook lied to the US Congress

Tim Cook testified in front of the US Congress Anti-trust Subcommittee yesterday and evidence has now emerged that he has lied to the Congress.

Tim Cook claimed that Apple treats all developers equally.

He testified “We treat every developer the same, we have open and transparent rules, it is a rigorous process because we care so deeply about privacy security and quality we do look at every app that goes on, but those rules apply evenly to everyone.”

When asked if some developers are favoured over others, he said: “that is not correct.”

A 2016 email from Apple’s Eddy Cue to Jeff Bezos, however, confirmed that Apple had offered Amazon special treatment to get their content on Apple TV.

The deal confirmed Amazon only had to pay 15% share for Amazon Prime Video sign-ups made via the Apple TV. Other companies such as Spotify have to pay 30% in similar circumstances.

The news may come as a surprise to Microsoft, who tried for years to get special rates for its important Office product.

Apple has denied abusing its monopoly over the app market on iOS, but given that the penalty for lying to Congress can be up to 5 years in prison Tim Cook may have bigger things to worry about right now.