There's very little chance they leave entirely, but there's every chance future products or functionality simply don't roll out in Europe due to regulatory uncertainty. In as far as the goal of the fines is to 'change product behaviour', it's working. Europe is, for the first time in my adult life, being specifically and deliberately excluded from tech roll-outs. Right now that's still nascent, but let's see where we're at in five, ten years.
It will also have a disproportionate impact on small and mid-sized businesses. Apple, Meta, etc. have the lawyers and profit margins to do EU compliance; many smaller companies do not, but were they to trade in Europe, they would be exposed to the same risk of arbitrary fines issued for non-compliance with complex and unclear laws. This sort of thing has a chilling effect. There's nothing particularly commendable in passing deliberately vague laws designed to facilitate the arbitrary enforcement of fines - it's a fraying of the rule of law.
And to the glib sarcas-bro who's about to say 'good riddance', just remember that this is Hacker News. Innovation is good, actually. Smart-watches with medical sensors, AirPods as hearing aids, those things are good, and missing out on future versions of tech like this is not a win.
It will also have a disproportionate impact on small and mid-sized businesses. Apple, Meta, etc. have the lawyers and profit margins to do EU compliance; many smaller companies do not, but were they to trade in Europe, they would be exposed to the same risk of arbitrary fines issued for non-compliance with complex and unclear laws. This sort of thing has a chilling effect. There's nothing particularly commendable in passing deliberately vague laws designed to facilitate the arbitrary enforcement of fines - it's a fraying of the rule of law.
And to the glib sarcas-bro who's about to say 'good riddance', just remember that this is Hacker News. Innovation is good, actually. Smart-watches with medical sensors, AirPods as hearing aids, those things are good, and missing out on future versions of tech like this is not a win.