Apple CEO Cook Uses His Star Power to Fend Off Antitrust Threat

Apple Inc. Chief Executive Officer Tim Cook wasn’t fully sold on having a team of Washington lobbyists a decade ago. Like Steve Jobs, his predecessor and mentor, Cook believed Apple’s slick products should do the talking.

But Apple’s hands-off era in the nation’s capital is over.

Cook has become one of the country’s most politically active tech CEOs in recent years as Apple struggles to fend off antitrust legislation gaining traction in Congress. The company is ramping up its lobbying spending and hiring well-connected former congressional aides. And it’s cozying up to powerful Washington figures, often deploying Cook to make Apple’s arguments directly to lawmakers.

The antitrust …