California’s attempt to crack down on Big Tech self-preferencing just got steamrolled. On April 20, 2026, the state Senate committee killed SB 1074—the BASED Act—in a 3-3 tie vote after what Senator Scott Wiener called a “tidal wave” of corporate lobbying. Your app choices, search results, and marketplace options remain firmly under Big Tech’s thumb.
When Platforms Play Favorites
The bill targeted how Apple and Google boost their own products over competitors in their digital ecosystems.
SB 1074 would have banned self-preferencing by platforms owned by companies worth over $1 trillion with 100 million-plus U.S. users. Think Apple pushing its own apps to the top of App Store search results, or Google prioritizing its shopping service over competitors like Yelp.
Y Combinator sponsored the legislation, recognizing how platform favoritism strangles innovation before it starts. When the house always wins, you’re not really playing a fair game.
The Lobbying Blitz Was Swift and Brutal
Tech giants deployed their full arsenal of trade groups, talking points, and high-level executives to kill the bill.
The opposition came fast and coordinated, like a Marvel movie where all the villains team up. Chamber of Progress—whose members include Apple, Google, and Amazon—issued a statement within minutes of the bill’s introduction. Five trade groups recycled arguments from previous fights against the EU’s Digital Markets Act and federal antitrust bills.
Apple’s senior director Tim Powderly and Google’s Kent Walker personally lobbied against it, warning of innovation stifling and compliance burdens. They pointed to Europe, where tech giants have faced over $7 billion in Digital Markets Act fines, as a cautionary tale.
What You Lost in the Process
The bill’s defeat preserves the status quo where Big Tech controls your digital choices.
This wasn’t just insider baseball—it affects your daily tech experience. Without rules against self-preferencing, Apple continues controlling which apps get prominent placement, while Google shapes what information you see first. Smaller competitors struggle for visibility, potentially meaning fewer alternatives and less innovation in the apps and services you use.
The California Chamber of Commerce celebrated the defeat as a “team effort,” proving that Silicon Valley’s home-state influence remains unshakeable. Wiener hinted he might revive the bill later, especially as he eyes Nancy Pelosi’s congressional seat.
The pattern holds: Big Tech spent over $100 million killing similar federal legislation in 2022, and they’re not slowing down. Your digital world stays exactly as designed—by the companies that built it.
