Apple Inc.’s software chief said advertising and privacy can coexist as iPhone changes rolled out more than a year ago continue to roil the digital-ad market.
Speaking at The Wall Street Journal’s annual Tech Live conference, Craig Federighi, senior vice president of software engineering, said the iPhone maker was uncertain about the short-term ramifications of the new requirements it introduced last year that require third-party apps to seek user permission to track their digital footprints.
“We felt in the long term, that quality advertising and product privacy could coexist, there would be innovation, some of it from us, some of it from others,” Mr. Federighi said. “But that journey hadn’t started. It was what we wanted for ourselves and our friends and our family, we thought…people should have that level of control.”
Many users have rejected those apps’ requests, leading to lost business across the digital-ad industry from Meta Platforms Inc.’s Facebook to Snap Inc.
Apple’s sway over its digital users has been under fire in recent years, especially from third-party app makers unhappy with the power it holds over the iPhone ecosystem through its App Store and the money it collects from digital revenue.
One response to the rise of Silicon Valley has been legislation in the European Union to rein in the power of large technology companies. Those efforts include legislation that received final approval this week to a mandate that electronic devices beginning in 2024 must have USB-C ports, a measure born out of frustration with incompatible smartphone chargers and a desire to reduce waste among users with multiple cords.
“Obviously, we’ll have to comply,” Greg Joswiak, Apple senior vice president of worldwide marketing, said Tuesday evening. He joined Mr. Federighi on the stage for the event.
Apple’s iPhones don’t use USB-C charging ports that are already widespread among some computer makers and rival Android phones. The Cupertino, Calif., tech giant had opposed the measure, saying it would harm innovation.
The new directive only applies to devices sold within the bloc’s 27-member states, but could have broad effects around the world as device makers often aim to have common parts globally. Mr. Joswiak was coy when asked if the change would be global.
“You’re trying to get me to predict the future,” he said.
The Apple executives also addressed some of the employees who have voiced concerns about the company’s push to return workers to the office some days a week.
Mr. Federighi called being together a fundamental part of the company’s culture, saying that when they have been back, “we are so much more effective and we are enlivened and invigorated and happy.”
“It’s a big disservice when I read where people say Apple employees don’t want to come,” he said. “Of course there are some people who moved to Kansas and said this is where I want to be. Sure, is that Apple employees? That’s an Apple employee. But I think a lot of us are thrilled to be able to engage with one another.”
