Season 6, Episode 11: iWar, and Apple's struggle to preserve its App Store empire (with Tim Higgins)

The podcast features an interview with Tim Higgins, business columnist at the Wall Street Journal and author of "iWar," to discuss the decade-long battle between Apple and various entities like Epic Games and Spotify. Higgins explains why he opens the book with Apple's tax issues in Europe, highlighting how this set the stage for future regulatory scrutiny. He emphasizes Apple's aggressive legal defense strategy, referencing former general counsel Bruce Sewell's philosophy of embracing risk. The discussion covers Spotify's challenges with Apple's App Store policies, including the "Apple tax" and the inherent conflicts between their business models. Higgins also delves into Tim Sweeney and Epic Games' fight against Apple and Google, including the launch of Project Liberty and the divergent legal outcomes.