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Apple isn't a monopoly, Tim Cook says at WWDC

Despite calls to break up Silicon Valley giants, Apple's CEO says his company isn't too big.

Shelby Brown Editor II
Shelby Brown (she/her/hers) is an editor for CNET's services team. She covers tips and tricks for apps, operating systems and devices, as well as mobile gaming and Apple Arcade news. Shelby also oversees Tech Tips coverage. Before joining CNET, she covered app news for Download.com and served as a freelancer for Louisville.com.
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  • She received the Renau Writing Scholarship in 2016 from the University of Louisville's communication department.
Shelby Brown
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Tim Cook told Norah O'Donnell of CBS News that Apple isn't a monopoly.

CBS News

After discussing how a lack of digital privacy is bad for democracy, Apple CEO Tim Cook said Monday that the company isn't a monopoly. 

Norah O'Donnell of CBS News asked Cook whether Apple  is too big. And Cook said no.

"I think the scrutiny is fair. I think we should be scrutinized," Cook told CBS News during an interview at Apple's annual WWDC in San Jose, California. "But if you look at our – any kind of measure about is Apple a monopoly or not, I don't think anybody reasonable is gonna come to the conclusion that Apple's a monopoly."

He reiterated: "We are not a monopoly."

Cook also said he strongly disagrees with 2020 presidential hopeful Sen. Elizabeth Warren's call for Apple and other big tech companies to break up. Last month, Facebook co-founder Chris Hughes called for the breakup of Facebook. Warren and other politicians have rallied around him.

Silicon Valley companies have been under fire for their scale and power. The House of Representatives began a sweeping antitrust probe of tech giants on Monday. The investigation will examine whether companies are engaging in "anti-competitive conduct" and whether current antitrust laws are enough to fix the problem. The probe will include a series of hearings in the House Subcommittee on Antitrust, Commercial and Administrative Law.

The Department of Justice is also reportedly looking into the possibility of investigating Apple over antitrust concerns

CBS Evening News will release more of the interview with Cook on Tuesday.

(Disclosure: CBS is the parent company of CBS News and CNET.)

Originally published June 4 at 6:55 a.m. PT.
Update, 7:09 a.m.: Adds details on antitrust probe. 

Watch this: Everything Apple announced from its WWDC 2019 keynote