In 2025, Apple spent more money than ever before on lobbying at the federal level in the US. A total of $10 million was invested in political influence, representing an increase of almost 30 percent compared to 2024. This development demonstrates the extent to which Apple actively participates in regulatory and political processes that affect its business.
In the technology sector, lobbying expenditures have been rising steadily for years. Large platform companies are increasingly attempting to influence legislative processes at an early stage. A recent Bloomberg overview of the industry's lobbying spending highlighted this trend again in 2025. Initially, it was striking that Apple did not appear in the overview, even though the company is usually among the largest lobbyists. An analysis of official disclosure data now provides the missing figures.
Record spending on lobbying in 2025
According to documents filed under the US Senate Lobbying Disclosure Act, Apple spent a total of $10 million on federal lobbying in 2025. This represents an increase of 27.9 percent compared to 2024. This marks Apple's highest annual lobbying expenditure ever recorded in the company's history.
Expenditure increased steadily throughout the year. Each quarter was higher than or close to the previous one, with the highest figure in the fourth quarter.
Breakdown of expenditures by quarter
Apple's reported lobbying expenditures for the year 2025 are distributed as follows:
- Q1: $2.45 million
- Q2: $2.29 million
- Q3: $2.53 million
- Q4: $2.73 million
The fourth quarter is particularly noteworthy. Besides generating the highest revenue, Apple also covered the broadest range of political topics during this period.
Key topics of lobbying
Several issues dominated Apple's work throughout 2025. Legislative initiatives concerning the App Store appeared in every quarterly report. These included the App Store Accountability Act, the Open App Markets Act, and the App Store Freedom Act. These proposals aim to introduce new rules for the operation and competition of large app platforms. Furthermore, Apple addressed other topics throughout the year, including:
- Competition in the App Store
- Artificial intelligence and consumer protection
- Semiconductor manufacturing
- Trade and international competitiveness
- Health technologies
- immigration
This thematic range was particularly pronounced in the fourth quarter.
Contacts within the US government
Apple's disclosed lobbying contacts extended across broad swathes of the US federal government, including Congress and the President's Executive Office. Additionally, Apple held discussions with numerous agencies, including the FCC, the EPA, the Treasury Department, the Commerce Department, the Defense Department, the Energy Department, the Department of Health and Human Services, and the US Trade Representative. This distribution of contacts demonstrates that Apple does not limit its lobbying efforts to individual institutions.
Classification in industry comparison
Bloomberg also published a ranking of lobbying expenditures by major technology companies for 2025. Meta topped the list with $26.2 million, followed by Amazon with $17.7 million and Google with $13.1 million. Had Apple been included in this overview, it would have ranked fourth with $10 million, just ahead of Microsoft with $9.3 million.
Apple's rising lobbying spending reveals clear priorities
The lobbying figures for 2025 show a clear shift in Apple's strategy towards higher and broader spending. With a new record, rising quarterly expenditures, and a wide range of topics, Apple is clearly positioning itself in key political and regulatory debates in the US. This development firmly places the company among the most influential players in the technology sector. (Image: Shutterstock / FOTOGRIN)
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