Apple

Apple closed its Towson Town Center store - the first unionized Apple Store in the United States - on June 20, 2026, after announcing the shutdown earlier in the year. The International Association of Machinists (IAM), which represents the Towson workers, filed an Unfair Labor Practice charge alleging the closure violates federal labor law and the collective bargaining agreement. Maryland's congressional delegation pressed Apple in a May 4, 2026 letter that went unanswered. The IAM argued Apple is signaling to other stores considering unionization that organizing will be met with retaliation. The Towson store was the only Apple location in the Baltimore County metro area accessible by public transit.

Apple and Google coordinated lobbying to defeat California SB 1074 (the 'BASED Act'), which would have banned self-preferencing by platforms owned by companies worth over $1 trillion. The bill was killed in a 3-3 tie vote on April 20, 2026. Five trade groups including Chamber of Progress issued coordinated opposition 'within minutes' of introduction. Apple's Senior Director Tim Powderly and Google executive Kent Walker personally lobbied against the bill. Senator Scott Wiener described the opposition as a 'tidal wave' of corporate lobbying. Big Tech spent over $100M killing similar federal legislation in 2022.

India's Competition Commission (CCI) investigation, whose Director General report concluded in 2024 that Apple engaged in 'abusive conduct' on the iOS app platform by wrongfully mandating use of Apple's own in-app payment system, has continued to escalate through 2026. Apple has not submitted the financial data the CCI needs to calculate a penalty since October 2024, instead citing a separate case it filed in Delhi High Court challenging the constitutionality of India's antitrust penalty law. Because CCI penalties can be based on up to 10% of a company's global turnover over the prior three years, Apple faces a potential fine of as much as $38 billion if the CCI uses Apple's worldwide (rather than India-only) revenue as the base. In April 2026 the CCI set a final hearing after Apple's continued data withholding, and in June 2026 Apple escalated its defense by accusing CCI investigators of 'copy-pasting' submissions from rival companies (including Match/Tinder, PhonePe, and Paytm) rather than conducting independent analysis, and argued it is a 'minuscule player' with under 6% of India's smartphone market. A closed-door CCI hearing was held July 21, 2026, with a final decision still pending. Google previously made similar 'chilling effect' arguments to the CCI in 2023 but was still ordered to change its Android practices.

On April 16, 2026, Apple released its annual environmental progress report showing: 60% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions vs 2015 baseline, 30% recycled material across all products shipped (record high), 100% recycled cobalt in all Apple-designed batteries, 100% recycled rare earth elements in all magnets, 100% fiber-based packaging (15,000+ metric tons of plastic avoided over 5 years), suppliers procured 20+ gigawatts of renewable energy in 2025, 17 billion gallons of fresh water saved with suppliers, and Apple Fifth Avenue became first retail store to achieve TRUE Zero Waste Certification.

On February 19, 2026, West Virginia AG JB McCuskey filed a consumer protection lawsuit alleging Apple allowed child sexual abuse materials (CSAM) to be stored and distributed on iCloud services. The lawsuit claims Apple 'prioritized user privacy over child safety for years' - Apple filed only 267 CSAM reports to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children in 2023, compared to Google's 1.47 million reports. The state seeks statutory and punitive damages plus injunctive relief requiring Apple to implement effective CSAM detection.

VP Lisa Jackson, essentially Apple's chief sustainability officer, retired in January 2026 and Apple eliminated the CSO role rather than replacing her. This represents a significant organizational shift for one of the world's largest tech companies, removing dedicated executive leadership for sustainability despite Apple's strong environmental track record including 60% CO₂ emissions reduction since 2015 and 100% renewable electricity for all corporate operations since 2018.

In November 2025, Apple confirmed it removed popular gay dating apps Blued and Finka from its Chinese iOS Store following an order from the Cyberspace Administration of China. This continued Apple's pattern of complying with authoritarian censorship demands, following 2024 removals of WhatsApp and Instagram from China.

The UK Competition Appeal Tribunal concluded Apple abused its dominant position by charging excessive commissions on App Store purchases between 2015 and 2024. The tribunal found Apple's commissions excessive and unfair, estimating fair fees at 17.5% for distribution and 10% for payment services versus Apple's actual rates. Damages were awarded to consumers for unlawful overcharges passed on by developers. Apple has indicated it will appeal.

The European Commission found Apple breached its anti-steering obligation under the Digital Markets Act by imposing restrictions that prevent app developers from fully benefiting from alternative distribution channels outside the App Store. Apple's practices were found to limit competition and consumer choice in the app ecosystem.

Federal Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers ruled Apple 'willfully' failed to comply with previous injunctions in the Epic Games case. The judge found that Apple executives had lied and knowingly took an anti-competitive route to demonstrate compliance. She extended injunctions to prevent Apple from collecting fees from third-party storefronts and referred the case to the federal attorney's office for possible criminal contempt proceedings.

Apple has received a score of 100% every year on the Human Rights Campaign's Corporate Equality Index across all 18 years of the report's existence. The company maintains 25,000+ employees in Diversity Network Associations including Pride@Apple, which partnered with Point of Pride to support transgender employees. Apple also signed an HRC letter opposing anti-LGBTQ+ legislation alongside 39 other companies.

Apple agreed to a $95 million settlement in Lopez v. Apple, a class action lawsuit filed in 2019 alleging Siri recorded user conversations without the required 'Hey Siri' voice command or button press. Plaintiffs claimed users were unaware that human contractors, not just computers, reviewed audio recordings, and that Apple shared data with advertisers for ad targeting.

Thousands of child sexual abuse material victims filed lawsuit against Apple for dropping its announced CSAM detection plans. Plaintiffs argue Apple's reversal forces victims to repeatedly relive trauma as their images continue circulating on Apple platforms.

In December 2024, Apple announced plans to launch an online store in Saudi Arabia in summer 2025 and open flagship retail stores starting 2026, including an 'iconic' store in Diriyah. Apple disclosed spending over $2.66 billion with Saudi suppliers over five years. The expansion proceeds despite Saudi Arabia's documented record of censorship, surveillance, and human rights abuses.

The National Labor Relations Board filed complaints alleging Apple required employees nationwide to sign illegal confidentiality, non-disclosure, and non-compete agreements that deterred discussions about pay equity and workplace issues. The complaints stem from charges by former employees Ashley Gjovik (2021) and Cher Scarlett, who played a central role in the #AppleToo movement. Apple was also accused of intimidating retail staff over unionization efforts.

On September 10, 2024 the Court of Justice of the European Union issued its final ruling ordering Apple to pay €13 billion in back taxes plus interest to Ireland, overturning the 2020 General Court decision and reinstating the European Commission's 2016 finding that Ireland had granted Apple unlawful state aid via tax rulings that allowed Apple to allocate substantially all European profits to a 'head office' that existed nowhere. The judgment was the final word in the longest-running tax state-aid case in EU history and made Apple the largest-ever single corporate tax recovery in Europe.

Class action filed on behalf of over 12,000 current and former female employees in Apple's engineering, marketing and AppleCare divisions in California. Lawsuit alleges Apple used prior salary history to perpetuate pay gaps even after the practice became illegal in 2018.

In 2024, Apple announced a new process enabling customers and independent repair providers to use used genuine Apple parts in iPhone repairs. The company said the process maintains privacy, security, and safety while offering more repair options, increasing product longevity, and minimizing environmental impact. This represented a significant shift from Apple's previous stance requiring only new OEM parts.

In March 2024, the European Commission fined Apple €1.84 billion ($2 billion) for abusing its dominant position in the market for music streaming app distribution via the App Store. The fine stemmed from Apple's anti-steering rules that prevented Spotify and other music streaming developers from informing iOS users about alternative, cheaper subscription options available outside the app. This was the first antitrust fine the EU imposed on Apple.

In February 2024, Apple's principal secure repair architect John Perry testified against Oregon's right-to-repair bill SB 1596, opposing provisions that would restrict parts pairing. This came just six months after Apple publicly endorsed California's SB 244, a weaker bill Apple was already compliant with. Google publicly supported the same Oregon bill Apple opposed. Security experts rebutted Apple's claims that parts pairing was necessary for device security.