Apple and CEO Tim Cook last year took the momentous step of allowing users to block advertising companies from tracking their app use, a technique used for ad targeting. Apple marketed the change as a win for user privacy—and users appear to agree, with most opting out. Many antisurveillance activists welcomed the development, but others noted that it underlined Apple’s huge power. And in earnings calls after the changes, ad-dependent tech giants like Meta and Snap blamed Apple’s move for “headwinds” that resulted in tens of billions of dollars in losses.
A weekly newsletter featuring conversations with the world’s top CEOs, managers, and founders. Join the Leadership Brief.
More Must-Reads from TIME
- The 100 Most Influential People in AI 2024
- Inside the Rise of Bitcoin-Powered Pools and Bathhouses
- How Nayib Bukele’s ‘Iron Fist’ Has Transformed El Salvador
- What Makes a Friendship Last Forever?
- Long COVID Looks Different in Kids
- Your Questions About Early Voting, Answered
- Column: Your Cynicism Isn’t Helping Anybody
- The 32 Most Anticipated Books of Fall 2024
