As the EU debates new rules for its digital economy, including AI regulations, Sundar Pichai, Mark Zuckerberg, and others head to Brussels to meet key lawmakers

Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg and Google's Sundar Pichai have journeyed to Brussels as the European Union drafts regulation for A.I. and the digital economy.

New York Times 2020-02-17 Adam Satariano

Context & Ripple Effects

Facebook pre-announced this trip in January, framing it as meetings with EU officials while antitrust and privacy scrutiny mounted — now Google's Sundar Pichai joins Zuckerberg, turning a solo charm offensive into a joint CEO visit timed to the bloc's drafting of AI and digital-economy rules.

The arc that follows shows why the timing mattered: by December, Politico's account of Big Tech's EU lobbying found Google had logged the most meetings with the focus shifting from hate speech to antitrust, and a year later the European Parliament summoned the CEOs of Amazon, Apple, Facebook, and Alphabet to a public hearing on the Commission's proposals.

First-order effects

Zuckerberg and Pichai get direct access to the lawmakers drafting rules that will bind their European operations, ahead of any formal legislative text they would otherwise have to react to.

Second-order effects

Rival CEOs are pulled into the same channel — the Parliament's later hearing for Amazon, Apple, Facebook, and Alphabet chiefs turns what began as voluntary visits into mandatory testimony.

Third-order effects

By 2023 the engagement strategy has inverted into partnership: Commissioner Thierry Breton declares himself "aligned" with Zuckerberg on AI regulation, suggesting Brussels' rulemaking becomes a framework Silicon Valley helps shape rather than one it resists.

The trend: Big Tech's posture toward EU digital regulation is shifting from defensive lobbying trips to pre-emptive alignment with Brussels as the de facto rule-setter for AI.

Discussion

@fabiochiusi Fabio Chiusi on x
Vestager “raised particular concerns about the expanding use of facial recognition technology and said new restrictions might be needed before it was “everywhere"" https://www.nytimes.com/...
@went1955 Robert Went on x
Silicon Valley heads to Europe, nervous about new rules for AI and digital economy. Europe's AI debate is part of a move away from an American-led view of technology. For years, American lawmakers and regulators largely left Silicon Valley companies alone https://www.nytimes.com/…
@jason_kint Jason Kint on x
“We will do our best to avoid unintended consequences,” ⁦@vestager⁩ said. “But, obviously, there will be intended consequences.” Facebook declined to comment. https://www.nytimes.com/...
@hshaban Hamza Shaban on x
One of Facebook's oldest strategies against regulation is to convince people that Facebook doesn't actually select the things we see on Facebook, that its process is automated, that people see what they want to see based on signals that computers interpret as our preferences: htt…
@hoofnagle Chris Hoofnagle on x
WSJ: “Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg said the social-media giant falls somewhere between a newspaper and a telecommunications company, in terms of responsibility for content, and should be regulated as such.” https://www.wsj.com/...?
@mattlesser Matt Lesser on x
Color me skeptical. Last year ⁦⁦@Facebook⁩ hired lobbyists to kill CT legislation I introduced along lines that Zuckerberg now says he supports. Mark Zuckerberg: Facebook must accept some state regulation | Facebook | The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/ ...
@hshaban Hamza Shaban on x
Here's Zuckerberg on why Facebook is not like a newspaper but more like a phone company: Notice how for both he doesn't mention the things that make Facebook unique. Things like the power to amplify posts, unprecedented scale and algorithmic selection https://www.wsj.com/... http…
@laukaya Laura Kayali on x
Mark Zuckerberg in Financial Times op-ed: “Good regulation may hurt Facebook's business in the near term but it will be better for everyone, including us, over the long term.” https://www.ft.com/...
@adrianweckler Adrian Weckler on x
Zuckerberg says social media should be regulated ‘somewhere between telcos and newspapers’. Telco = data just flows through Newspaper = responsible for every word https://www.reuters.com/...
@tomvalletti Tommaso Valletti on x
Let me traslate: “I'm calling for regulation the way I define it. So you can blame others while I'm making money. regulation helps incumbents like me & it will be hell for startups trying to compete. Actually, just don't mention competition. Yours, Zuck” https://www.ft.com/...
@karunanundy Karuna Nundy on x
The question is, how much responsibility is Facebook willing to take for its crowdsourced content and algorithmic editing with a thin human interface? https://twitter.com/...
@hshaban Hamza Shaban on x
Zuckerberg wants Facebook to be regulated somewhere between a phone company and a newspaper, even though Facebook is neither, and the company's immense scale, amplifying power and algorithmic selection are traits that newspapers and telcos don't share. https://www.wsj.com/...
@seanmmcdonald Sean McDonald on x
🧐 One reason using metaphors is dangerous, especially for vertically integrated companies. Facebook is an actual telecommunications company in many parts of the world. They are also a newspaper. They are liable for both, and the unique things that emerge from their combination. h…
@wsjpolitics @wsjpolitics on x
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg rejected comparisons between tech giants like his and traditional news-media outlets. https://www.wsj.com/...
@antoniocasilli Casilli on x
“Treat us like something between a sugar plantation and a Soviet tank factory.” https://www.reuters.com/...
@jeffjarvis Jeff Jarvis on x
Regulatory capture. FB faces the inevitability of regulation. Easier for them to deal with than small and new competitors. https://twitter.com/...
@jmgrygiel @jmgrygiel on x
...conveniently trying to guide a framework. A system between media and finance would bring more oversight and high transaction volume solutions. If we can manage trillions of dollars we can handle trillions of posts. The myth that social content is too big to regulate must end. …
@smtuffy Sean Tuffy on x
Says the dude trying to enter financial services https://twitter.com/...

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