Shark Tank judge Anupam Mittal wants government to send a “very strong message” to Apple and Google

Shark Tank judge Anupam Mittal has slammed technology giants Apple and Google for their app store policies. In an interview to Business Insider, founder and CEO of Shaadi.com Mittal compared the duo to East India company.

He said that the two companies -- Google and Apple -- control the entire app ecosystem and "operate with complete impunity." “What choice does a company have but to adhere to their unfair practices… Now they say that any transaction that happens on apps downloaded via the store will be subject to 15-30% tax/commissions. What this means is that they want 50% of the revenues of the startups. It is the new East India Company and they operate with complete arrogance and impunity. The problem is in getting these companies to comply. Their strategy is to stretch out the legal process and tire the system,”

Wants government to act and send “a strong message”

Mittal accused the tech giants of trying to become "the gatekeeper to our economy" through such practices. He said that while the government has the right intent, the legal process gets stretched.

"As a government, we have to ensure that nobody becomes the gatekeeper to our economy, which is what these companies are trying to do. There should be penal provisions for anybody who abuses the law or twists and turns it while violating the very spirit of it," he added.

Mittal also believes that tough action is needed against these companies, who he called "bullies". This he said has to go beyond just financial penalties. “There should be penal provisions for anybody who abuses the law or twists and turns it while violating the very spirit of it. Non-compliance with judicial orders is contempt of court and so there is an opportunity to send a very strong message. These bullies need one arm chopped off in the form of penalties, a rap on the knuckles will not work as they are too big to care about a couple of hundred million in penalties.”