Y Combinator, one of the most productive starting accelerators in the world, sent a letter on Wednesday, urging Trump administration to openly support Europe’s digital markets (DMA), a broad legislation aimed at opening Big Tech market power.
DMA defines six technology companies as “gatekeepers” online – alphabet, Amazon, Apple, Byteance, Meta and Microsoft – and restricts these technological kings to participate in anti -tactical tactics on their platforms in favor of interoperability. The law is valid in May 2023 and already has a significant impact on US technology companies.
In a letter to the White House Posted on x By YC Public Policy Chief Luther Lowe, the starting accelerator argued that the DMA should not be concentrated with other European technology legislation, which US officials often criticize as excessive.
Instead, the YC argues in the letter that the spirit of Europe’s DMA is in accordance with values promoting – not inhibition – American innovation.
“[W]E’s respectedly encourage the White House to reset its stance towards Europe’s digital regulation, drawing a clear line between the measures that hinder innovation and those who encourage it, “says YC’s letter, which was also signed by the newly established companies.
It is not quite surprising that the YC would come out with explicit public support of DMA. After all, the accelerator markets himself as a champion of “Little Tech”-an American technology ecosystem.
The YC argues in the letter that the DMA opens the basic ways to create opportunities for American newly established businesses in AI, Search and Consumer applications and prevents large technology companies from boxing smaller businesses.
Specifically, the YC in its letter shows that Apple delayed Apple’s Siri version by 2027, years after the purchase of Ai Voice Assistants. YC argues that this represents the lack of competitive pressure, noting that third AI voice assistants are unable to incorporate their services into Apple operating systems
The YC can take the Big Tech to refer to its reported anti -stagnant behavior and take shots in companies such as Apple, which claims to harm the start -up ecosystem supported by the business. However, YC and other supposed small technologically aligned VCs are actually a quite influence on Washington.
Andreessen Horowitz (A16Z), who published a “small technological agenda” last year, spends millions of dollars trying to influence policy battles at federal and local level. According to the data from Open secretsThe A16Z contributions during the US electoral cycle in 2024 amounted to $ 89 million. YC, even smaller player in US policy, contributed about $ 2 million.
What is less clear here is how the Trump administration will respond to DMA in the long run – and the approval of its YC.
President Trump marked in January that he would do Protect US technology companies from excessive European regulators. However, Trump also has Historically it was harsh in large technology companies Like Apple, Google and Meta.
At the Paris Summit AI Action Action in February, Vice President JD Vance has criticized some of the EU laws against technology companies, including the Digital Services Act and the Data Protection Regulation. However, Vance did not mention the DMA, which aims more closely at anti -axes of technology.
Lowe told TechCrunch last year during a rigorous fact that the DMA is not perfect, but at least they take a knife to calculate how we limit the most intense forms of self-trafficking from these large businesses. “
Lowe did not respond immediately to TechCrunch’s request for comments.
