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In one of the stranger coincidences in modern politics, an op-ed released in Newsweek in late June from Adam Kovacevich, a software engineer, supporting the congressional bills that attempt to rein in the power of Big Tech. Another op-ed from Kovacevich, taking Chuck Schumer to task for not putting the bills on the Senate floor, came out last week.
Support for taking on the giant platforms isn’t all that unusual from certain corners of the tech world, but Adam Kovacevich making that case is kind of funny. That’s because there’s another Adam Kovacevich, who leads a Big Tech front group called Chamber of Progress, and is maybe the leading opponent of the congressional bills. This isn’t a situation of two John Smiths, but two Adam Kovaceviches, making polar opposite arguments on an important anti-monopoly issue.
I talked to Adam Kovacevich the software engineer about why his experiences led him to distrust Big Tech’s dominance, and how he once had a brush with fame with the other Adam Kovacevich. Our conversation, conducted over email, is below.
TAP: What motivated you to write the opinion pieces?
Adam Kovacevich: As an independent developer and technologist, I’m concerned that today it feels like there’s less innovation and more stagnation. Ten or 15 years ago—when the web wasn’t dominated by a handful of giants—the internet felt like a more dynamic place. The prospect of being a developer was exciting both because of the chance to build new things and earn a good living. Ironically, companies like Google were helpful to creators of these services because they helped with discovery. Most traffic that goes to Google stays on Google. Facebook dominates social networking. People could point to TikTok as a competitive threat, but its growth was heavily subsidized. I don’t think the status quo is good for developers like me, or innovation in general. There seems to be a chance to make positive changes, and I feel strongly that policymakers should take that chance.
How do you see tech dominance happening in your role as a software engineer?
Every layer of the “stack” these days requires interfacing with a tech giant. My code lives on Github (subsidiary of Microsoft). Amazon Web Services is the most common place for developers to host their products. If I build an app, Apple and Google gatekeep its presence in their stores and can play God with how discoverable it becomes. Analytics are run through Google. Promoting an app typically means handing a significant amount of money to Facebook to encourage downloads and hope paying for the discovery of your app produces a virtuous cycle. In other words, “building the best mousetrap” no longer cuts it when it comes to bringing your product to market in a world dominated by digital gatekeepers. It is basically impossible to develop something without at some point needing one of the tech giants—and they know that.
You are clear in your op-ed that the goal should be reinvigorating competition over breaking up companies. Do you think it might come to breakups eventually?
At minimum, we need to take big steps to reinvigorate competition. If we do take those steps, we’ll be able to see how markets change. Breakups seem to be a more heavy-handed approach that would take years to adjudicate and administer, whereas compelling these companies to stop putting their hand on the scale and interoperate with third-party services is a more elegant, market-based approach to the problem. Breakups might be necessary, but it doesn’t seem practical right now.
Google has offered a concession, saying that it would split its adtech business into a separate company that would still operate under the Alphabet umbrella. Some experts have said this is insufficient because it would not be a structural separation (more a change in business lines) without any ethical walls to separate the business units. What do you think?
I haven’t been paying close enough attention to that specific part of Google’s business to give an intelligent response to this. Generally speaking, policymakers should set up guardrails to prevent big companies from using their size to cheat. When it comes to Google’s adtech stack, it seems like Google is holding all the cards information-wise. A real spin-off (not what you’re saying Google is proposing) could help combat this information asymmetry.
Google has also announced a $90 million fund for app developers and a reduced commission, as well as new rules to contact users outside the app about subscription options. Would this limit the gatekeeper experience of the Google Play Store?
These seem like positive steps, but remember the Google Play Store isn’t really where most of the action is for app developers. iPhones are dominant in the domestic market, and most of the revenue in the app ecosystem flows through Apple. I suspect Google could be even more generous and engage in more predatory pricing behavior with respect to its Play Store because revenue from that channel is gravy on top of search ads. If Google wanted to signal to regulators that it wanted to be less of a gatekeeper, it would loosen the straitjacket it puts on OEMs in exchange for their licensing of Android.
It’s such an odd coincidence that the other Adam Kovacevich is on the other side of this issue. When did you find out about that? What would you say to him?
It’s a small world, I guess! This question reminds me of a funny story. On nights and weekends, I code, but during my day job I work in the business aviation industry, specifically the part of the industry focused on private jets. This segment of the industry is somewhat of a small world, and I guess there’s a shared directory of contacts where I’m listed. A few years ago, I received a call from a private jet operator at Van Nuys saying, “Mr. Kovacevich, we need to confirm your credit card information and the size of child’s car seats for the rental car upon your flight’s arrival.” Needless to say, they had the wrong Adam Kovacevich. Furthermore, I have been approached by other individuals in and out of the tech industry, confusing me with the “other Adam Kovacevich.” While I have enjoyed being a part of this industry, it’s safe to say that most of the folks who work in the industry do not come from the same economic cohort as those who rely on private jets to shuttle themselves and their families.
