If the critics of Silicon Valley needed a leader, many would turn to Denmark’s Margrethe Vestager, the EU’s top antitrust regulator.
Around the world, authorities and governments now look to the elegant Dane who in June slapped Google with a record 2.4-billion-euro fine for illegally favouring its shopping service in search results.
Google hit back on Monday, filing an appeal at EU court, embittering ties between Europe and Silicon Valley even further.
The decision was the biggest blow ever inflicted on the US tech juggernaut and came less than a year after Vestager shocked the world with an order that iPhone manufacturer Apple repay EUR 13 billion in back taxes in Ireland.
But despite her thunderbolt decisions, Vestager, who took office as EU competition commissioner in late 2014, is also known for infusing one of the EU’s most feared positions with a welcome dose of humanity.
Across the EU institutions, Vestager is considered one
