They pay so little tax exactly because they’re US behemoths. Again, the EU has a very weak hand in here, it’s not like these decisions are implemented in a vacuum.
Well the US has a strategic interest on EU using their spyware.
They're slowly losing their grasp on EU (e.g. threats regarding Nord Stream 2 in 2021). This could slowly turn into Cold War II and this time around it doesn't look like the US is capable of/willing to carry out a Marshall Plan if things turn ugly energy-wise. EU is starting to realize how they're puppets to the US and an economic war is being waged on their soil. The US is not the reliable partner that it used to be.
Russia is not looking good but neither is the US. China is going to slowly eat the european cake if they play their cards well as they're already doing in Africa.
Adding a few pop-ups that almost everyone ignores or clicks at random to see them closed (I know I do) is different than having one of your main money-making ecosystems forcefully changed in a matter of a few months. (I'm thinking mostly about Apple here).
Its not 'a few pop ups'. GDPR has far reaching implications which every major company and even every prominent website implemented. From providing you your data when you asked to deleting your data when demanded. This also includes choosing what you allow to be tracked.
