The World's 50 Greatest Leaders

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7
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Margrethe Vestager

Margrethe Vestager, competition commissioner of the European Commission, poses for a photograph ahead of a Bloomberg Television interview in Berlin, Germany, on Thursday, March 14, 2019. The European Unions antitrust commissioner vowed to take seriously Spotify Technology SAs allegations that Apple Inc. is unfairly squeezing rival music streaming services. Photographer: Jacobia Dahm/Bloomberg via Getty ImagesJacobia Dahm—Bloomberg via Getty Images
  • Title
    Commissioner for Competition
  • Affiliation
    European Union

At a time when U.S. lawmakers are divided over reining in Big Tech, Vestager has shown how it can be done. She "Apple-converted-space" fined Google a total of $9 billion for alleged anticompetitive behavior, sought $15 billion in back taxes from Apple (both moves are being appealed), and is investigating Facebook. Dismissive of industry excuses, Vestager says: “If it’s your algorithm, it’s your responsibility.”