Android is a ‘Trojan Horse’, says Orange chief

Stéphane Richard

Google’s Android platform is a “Trojan Horse” and European regulators are “often naïve” about giant US internet companies, according to Stéphane Richard, CEO of service provider Orange. 

Speaking at the annual Udecam advertising business forum, Richard said that the European market was the “number one target” for internet giants including Google, Apple and Facebook.

Richard said that Google’s search engine had a 90-95% market share in search in most countries, representing a real risk. He said the Android operating system was a kind of Trojan Horse in the billion or so smartphones sold each year around the globe.

Richard also contrasted the tax obligations of national players in European markets and the US internet giants, who could base their operations in countries with low tax regimes.