Great, now I can install an app on iOS without having Apple's approval or cut, right? No, you cannot. You still report and pay fees to Apple. This is the general trend: EU regulates something it doesn't understand and the result is a mess that companies need to deal with.
It is not. It is a law to help loser companies benefit from the R&D spend of others. Like message "interoperability" between platforms. Instead of letting the best product win by consumer choice, they're forcing every messaging product to become mediocre. And the list could go on.
It is in the interest of our societies to make sure the markets work, and continue to work. That’s why we created market regulators. If a winner wins so much that they threaten to destroy the market, the importance of having a market trumps the winner’s right to win.
This is monopoly 101. That’s why the US broke up Standard Oil.
> Instead of letting the best product win by consumer choice, they're forcing every messaging product to become mediocre.
Do you really believe products win because they’re the best? I’d strongly argue that monopolistic power and loss-leading VC investment is what drives success.
Yes. This is why, for example Whatsapp is the most used messaging app in the world: it is lightweight and super simple. It could have been any number of apps, but they won fair and square.
This was the first example that comes to mind. And hardware wise I would argue the iPhone is the best phone because so many people buy it compared to other alternatives. And I don't believe for a second people buy because iMessage.
Sorry, but these companies spend much more effort on making sure their product is walled off and incompatible with everything than giving it any actual quality.
You think Whatsapp for example is this lightweight and easy to use on basically any phone because no one spent a dime on some R&D on how to make it the way it is?
I am not well versed in Android or iPhone software development, but yes, I don't believe that making a non-bloated mobile app is pushing the frontier of software engineering.
There could be some arguments made somewhere as to where R&D money could go, perhaps somewhere in the backbone that billions could use, but the UI is not it.
All that said, I don't know how it furthers your initial argument exactly, as the DMA "beneficiaries" benefit from this lightweightness in zero percent. If anything, it's a negative, because one could assume they have to do better than that with what they're offering.
Every day, I pass by numerous signs and plaques reading "funded by EU funds." Most of the time, they are attached to public transport or road infrastructure. For anyone genuinely trying to understand the EU's impact — rather than just defaulting to blind hatred — there are plenty of public resources available. You can find maps and project lists detailing descriptions, funding amounts, and progress statuses.
Granted, this data is usually "boring" by today’s dopamine-driven attention standards, so it's no wonder people rarely talk about it. But if you actually stop and take an interest in what has been accomplished, you start noticing the impact everywhere—it just takes a little effort. After all, how hyped can you really get over a repaved road in some remote village you've never even heard of? You can't. But the people living there certainly feel the impact, even if they don't always notice where the money came from.
You might disagree with certain aspects of the EU, but leaving a rage-baited, hateful comment is the easy way out. Looking at actual accomplishments—despite your frustrations—takes real effort.
For stuff which actually can matter and had impact on daily lives (beside aforementioned public transport impact):
- USB-C as a standard power connector
- hassle-free travel between countries
- GDPR you mentioned
- recent "stop killing games" public initiative which shows that common people can stand a chance against multimillion dollar companies
- abolition of roaming charges and access to a free internet up to certain limits — huge PITA solved for people going on vacations
- universal healthcare between countries on vacations
- strong 14 day guarantee for online purchases, free return policies and minimum 2 year warranty
- food safety regulations (but if you don't care you won't be impressed by it)
- certain regulations regarding flights and passenger rights (cancellation compensation, recent regulations regarding baggage, to fight with scammy practices of flight operators)
- right to repair
- even the commonly memed bottle caps is nice UX — you (or more commonly a kid) won't be able to drop a cap on sand rendering :) And thanks to that there is noticeably less "small trash" on beaches and in parks (left to solve are beer caps ;)
The intend of this comment is just to show that it's not "nothing" if you bother to look, the stupid/bad/ugly is beside the point here.
The DMA is a great initiative for more market competition.
Great, now I can install an app on iOS without having Apple's approval or cut, right? No, you cannot. You still report and pay fees to Apple. This is the general trend: EU regulates something it doesn't understand and the result is a mess that companies need to deal with.
https://www.macrumors.com/2025/06/26/app-store-eu-rule-chang...
It is not. It is a law to help loser companies benefit from the R&D spend of others. Like message "interoperability" between platforms. Instead of letting the best product win by consumer choice, they're forcing every messaging product to become mediocre. And the list could go on.
It is in the interest of our societies to make sure the markets work, and continue to work. That’s why we created market regulators. If a winner wins so much that they threaten to destroy the market, the importance of having a market trumps the winner’s right to win.
This is monopoly 101. That’s why the US broke up Standard Oil.
> Instead of letting the best product win by consumer choice, they're forcing every messaging product to become mediocre.
Do you really believe products win because they’re the best? I’d strongly argue that monopolistic power and loss-leading VC investment is what drives success.
Yes. This is why, for example Whatsapp is the most used messaging app in the world: it is lightweight and super simple. It could have been any number of apps, but they won fair and square.
This was the first example that comes to mind. And hardware wise I would argue the iPhone is the best phone because so many people buy it compared to other alternatives. And I don't believe for a second people buy because iMessage.
Interoperability is what enables consumer choice and the best product winning in the first place.
Theres no choice if all your friends are on a network that's not interoperable.
R&D spend? In messaging product?
Sorry, but these companies spend much more effort on making sure their product is walled off and incompatible with everything than giving it any actual quality.
> R&D spend? In messaging product?
You think Whatsapp for example is this lightweight and easy to use on basically any phone because no one spent a dime on some R&D on how to make it the way it is?
I am not well versed in Android or iPhone software development, but yes, I don't believe that making a non-bloated mobile app is pushing the frontier of software engineering.
There could be some arguments made somewhere as to where R&D money could go, perhaps somewhere in the backbone that billions could use, but the UI is not it.
All that said, I don't know how it furthers your initial argument exactly, as the DMA "beneficiaries" benefit from this lightweightness in zero percent. If anything, it's a negative, because one could assume they have to do better than that with what they're offering.
Every day, I pass by numerous signs and plaques reading "funded by EU funds." Most of the time, they are attached to public transport or road infrastructure. For anyone genuinely trying to understand the EU's impact — rather than just defaulting to blind hatred — there are plenty of public resources available. You can find maps and project lists detailing descriptions, funding amounts, and progress statuses.
Granted, this data is usually "boring" by today’s dopamine-driven attention standards, so it's no wonder people rarely talk about it. But if you actually stop and take an interest in what has been accomplished, you start noticing the impact everywhere—it just takes a little effort. After all, how hyped can you really get over a repaved road in some remote village you've never even heard of? You can't. But the people living there certainly feel the impact, even if they don't always notice where the money came from.
Go search for maps provided by EU or your government sites, for instance https://mapadotacji.gov.pl/?lang=en
You might disagree with certain aspects of the EU, but leaving a rage-baited, hateful comment is the easy way out. Looking at actual accomplishments—despite your frustrations—takes real effort.
For stuff which actually can matter and had impact on daily lives (beside aforementioned public transport impact):
The intend of this comment is just to show that it's not "nothing" if you bother to look, the stupid/bad/ugly is beside the point here.