they were under threat from the US Trade Representative, who told them that America would whack us with tariffs if we failed to arrange a hospitable environment for America's tech companies.

Well, I don't know if you've heard, but Trump whacked us with tariffs anyway. When someone threatens to burn your house down unless you do as you're told, and they burn your house down anyway, you don't have to keep taking their orders. Indeed, you're a sucker if you do.

In the 15 years since we capitulated to America's policy demands, US Big Tech has grown too big to fail, too big to jail, and too big to care.