Apple And Google Successfully Block California Based Act Following Intensive Lobbying Efforts

Apple (AAPL.OQ) and Google successfully thwarted California’s proposed “Based Act” after an intensive, well-organized lobbying campaign by major industry groups. The bill, introduced by Sen. Scott Wiener, aimed to curb platform favoritism in app stores and search; it lost a key committee vote on April 20, 2026. The defeat reduces near-term regulatory risk for Apple and Google, preserving existing app-store and search business models and revenue streams, while disadvantaging smaller rivals that backed the measure (including Yelp, DuckDuckGo and Y Combinator). The episode echoes past U.S. and EU fights over platform rules and highlights how large-scale lobbying can blunt state-level regulatory threats, a development likely viewed positively by investors in the dominant tech platforms.