AT&T officials not reading into merger silence from tech leaders even after CEO talks

AT&T officials did not sound concerned during a media briefing that the most influential tech companies in the country have failed to endorse their merger even after officials blitzed Silicon Valley to lobby for merger endorsements.

The silence from previous AT&T regulatory opponent Google and from Apple, a top AT&T partner who agreed to an iPhone exclusivity deal with the carrier until this year, is set against the backdrop strong endorsements form Facebook, Microsoft, and other tech giants as well as top venture capitalists. Bob Quinn, AT&T senior vice president for federal regulatory and chief privacy officer, said AT&T CEO Randall Stephenson spoke with officials from Google and Apple. AT&T officials likely met with trade associations they belong to. "I don't interpret silence by anyone as anything," Quinn said, noting that "they haven't come out against the merger." He suggested that for Apple and Google, who have been under tough privacy scrutiny in recent weeks, the silence might be a result of a desire to avoid the Washington spotlight. "Both of those companies in the last thirty days have had more of Washington than they want to deal with," he said.