Tech giants to defend their companies as US success stories in antitrust hearing

The chief executives of four of the world's largest tech companies will argue in a congressional hearing on antitrust on Wednesday that they face intense competition from each other and from other rivals -- painting them as US success stories in a fiercely competitive world.

The unprecedented hearing will feature chief executives Jeff Bezos of Amazon, Tim Cook of Apple, Mark Zuckerberg of Facebook and Sundar Pichai of Google and its parent firm Alphabet. The CEOs will testify remotely at the hearing, which comes less than 100 days before the US election.

The four will testify to a panel of lawmakers investigating how their business practices and data gathering have hurt smaller rivals as they seek to retain their dominance, or expand.

The testimony from Amazon's Jeff Bezos, Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg, Google's Sundar Pichai and Apple's Tim Cook, which was released Tuesday, portrays four chief executives who are looking over their shoulders at competitors who could render them obsolete.

Pichai argues that search -- which Google dominates by most metrics -- was broader than just typing a query into Google, and says he remains concerned about being relevant as people turn to Twitter, Pinterest or other websites for information.

He also highlights how Alphabet is helping America solidify its position as the global leader of budding technologies such artificial intelligence and self-driving cars.

In his remarks, Bezos paints online giant Amazon as an American "success" story, while accepting a need for scrutiny.

Hesays Amazon occupies a small share of the overall retail market and competes with retailers like Walmart, which is twice its size. He also says the coronavirus pandemic boosted e-commerce businesses across the spectrum and not just Amazon.

Zuckerberg argues that Facebook competes against other companies appearing at the hearing and against others globally. He also defends Facebook's acquisitions by saying the social media platform helped companies like WhatsApp and Instagram grow. Both are owned by Facebook.

He says the internet giant would not have succeeded without US laws fostering competition, but that the rules of the internet now need updating.

Apple's Tim Cook says the company "does not have a dominant market share in any market where we do business. That is not just true for iPhone, it is true for any product category."

He says scrutiny is "reasonable and appropriate" but that Apple will make "no concession on the facts." Apple does not have a dominant position in any market, and the iPhone faces fierce competition, according to Cook's prepared remarks.

The showdown in the House of Representatives comes amid rising concerns over Big Tech dominance, which has become even more pronounced during the coronavirus pandemic.

Questions at the hearing are expected to veer into issues ranging beyond whether the technology titans are abusing their power in marketplaces.

Current US antitrust laws make it difficult for enforcers to target companies simply for being large or dominant without also showing they cause harm to consumers or abuse their market power.

The tech company chiefs are expected to stress how they benefit consumers, particularly during the pandemic, and face competition -- particularly from China.

The antitrust debate is being muddled by a rising "techlash" over a range of issues from privacy to economic inequality to political bias.

Social media giants face attacks for allegedly using their dominance to stifle conservative views -- a claim made by President Donald Trump.

Facebook has also been accused of failing to curb hateful content promoting violence, including from Trump.

(with inputs from agencies)