- Apple CEO Tim Cook called Nancy Pelosi to try to slow tech antitrust bills, the New York Times reports.
- Pelosi reportedly challenged Cook to name specific policy problems.
- It's part of a lobbying drive from Big Tech companies against new bills that aim to regulate tech giants.
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Apple CEO Tim Cook personally lobbied House Speaker Nancy Pelosi as part of a sweeping effort by Big Tech companies to slow new antitrust legislation, The New York Times reported.
The House Judiciary Committee will on Wednesday vote on six antitrust bills targeting Apple, Amazon, Google, and Facebook on Wednesday. The bills broadly aim to break up any market dominance these companies hold.
Cook told Pelosi in a phone call that he believed the bills had been rushed and would stunt innovation, five sources familiar with the conversation told the Times.
After Cook asked Pelosi to slow the process for considering the bills, she pushed back, asking him to name specific policy objections, two sources told the Times.
Cook reportedly also called other members of Congress, though the Times did not say how many, or name any other lawmakers.
Cook isn't the only member of the tech industry lobbying Washington ahead of Wednesday's vote: Amazon's Vice President of Public Policy Brian Huseman issued a statement Tuesday saying the legislation would damage small-business owners who sell on Amazon, per the Times.
The Times also reported that Google's senior vice president for global affairs, Kent Walker, called lawmakers.