It was a big week for Big Tech, which was in the hot seat Wednesday for a historic antitrust hearing on Capitol Hill. Apple, Amazon, Google and Facebook execs took harsh questions from hostile House subcommittee members about alleged predatory business practices, theft of digital content and aggressive copying and purchasing of competing businesses.
Then, after the hammering, the companies posted big quarterly earnings and revenue. Amazon and Facebook both saw their profit double, while Apple saw a slight increase in iPhone sales despite many of its stores being closed and much of the world locked down. Google posted a revenue and sales decline, but the results were better than Wall Street expected.
Not to be forgotten, coronavirus deaths surpassed 150,000 in the US on Wednesday. By week's end, there were about 17.3 confirmed cases worldwide and around 674,000 deaths. Top infectious disease expert Dr. Anthony Fauci said Americans should consider wearing eye protection, such as goggles or a face shield -- in addition to a face mask -- to further protect themselves from the pandemic.
Big Tech's antitrust hearing is over. Now the real action starts
Facebook, Amazon, Apple and Google had a historic showdown with Congress. What comes next?
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