The Digital Markets Act: time for a reset

Overall reaction to Google’s call for a “reset”

• Many see the blog post as lobbying/propaganda framed as concern for consumers.
• The very fact that Google and Apple are loudly complaining is taken by several as evidence the DMA is working as intended against entrenched behavior.
• Some argue that if laws are causing these firms pain, it likely means they were benefiting from practices society now wants curbed.

Competition, lock‑in, and mobile ecosystems

• Strong frustration with the dominance of US (and some Chinese) platforms and their “clawhold” over daily life.
• Suggestions range from breaking up mega‑corps to outright banning big-tech products in the EU and funding local replacements.
• Debate over whether this is realistic: fears of consumer revolt if Android/iOS or beloved services disappeared; others think dependence is overstated.
• Multiple comments stress that alternatives (other OSes, forks of Android, local search, etc.) exist but cannot gain scale because of lock‑in and platform power.

DMA’s interoperability and API requirements

• Critics of the DMA say it is vague and effectively forces large companies to expose many previously private APIs as public, non‑self‑preferencing services.
• They argue this massively increases maintenance costs, slows product evolution, and encourages simply not launching new features in Europe.
• Supporters think this is exactly the point: to break ecosystem lock‑in, allow “mix and match” of devices and services, and let third parties integrate at first‑party quality.
• There is concern that forcing every new capability to be standardized or documented could bog development down, but proponents reply that many protocols already exist and are just being withheld.

Search, tourism, and DMA impact on users

• Google’s claim that DMA forces it to show only intermediaries (not direct hotel/airline links) is met with skepticism; several report still seeing direct offers in practice.
• Some doubt Google’s assertion that DMA worsens search quality, pointing to existing “enshittification” of results and ad overload.

EU regulation, innovation, and state power

• EU commenters list examples (roaming caps, USB‑C, payments, warranty rules) as regulations that helped consumers without killing industry.
• Others worry the EU’s broader digital agenda (chat control, digital ID, etc.) risks drifting toward authoritarian control, swapping corporate power for state power.
• There is disagreement about whether EU funding and policy have meaningfully fostered local tech or just added bureaucracy that big firms can better absorb.