The EU is economically meaningless on the grand scale. They are only 7% of Apple's revenue, and similarly low for other companies. And every day they become a less profitable market to operate in. The EU holds power only as long as the rest of the world is willing to deal with its BS.

Trying to "break up Apple" is simply not within the EU's power as Apple is worth more than the EU's whole tech industry combined. Apple would simply leave and the whole region would be left with shiny bricks.

If the EU pursues this with big tech at large it will find itself in the 80s. It needs US big tech far more than US big tech needs it.

If US big tech doesn't need the EU, then why do they keep on bending to its will?

As long as the opportunity cost is positive it will stay. The EU is trying its hardest to make the opportunity cost negative.

Not really. If this goes on, EU will simply cozy up to China a bit more. Let's see how Washington will react to that.

The EU's single market is the second largest economy (GDP nominal) in the world after the US and before China.

Last time I checked, Apples holdings are all based in Ireland. So from a legal standpoint, it's a Irish company, held accountable by EU law. It can't "simply leave".

If you think the US will let it's shiniest company be destroyed by the EU I don't even know what to say.

How long do you think it would take them to move?

Remember Brexit and how long it took corporations to move their entities? It’s 12-36 months, from my experience in investment banking at the time.

> [EU] are only 7% of Apple's revenue

*citation needed.

Looking at [0] it seems to be around 25%.

[0] https://www.statista.com/statistics/382175/quarterly-revenue...