A Guide to the Antitrust Battle’s Biggest Players
A Guide to the Antitrust Battle’s Biggest Players
(Bloomberg Businessweek) -- The key federal, state, and international players in antitrust enforcement.
David Cicilline, 58, U.S. representative, Rhode Island
What He’s Done: Democrat leading House antitrust subcommittee probe into competition in tech sector. Argues that internet giants enjoy de facto immunity from enforcement. Has issued sweeping demands for documents from Amazon, Apple, Facebook, Google.
What He Wants: Hopes his probes spur the FTC and DOJ to take action against the tech sector. May push to update antitrust statutes to make it easier for authorities to bring cases. —Ben Brody
Makan Delrahim, 49, Head of Antitrust Division, U.S. Department of Justice
What He’s Done: He gambled and lost a high-risk case when he sued to block AT&T’s takeover of Time Warner, two companies that didn’t compete. Move sparked howls about political interference given President Trump’s animus toward Time Warner’s CNN.
What He Wants: Leading another politically charged case with even higher stakes—the broad investigation into whether tech giants are using their dominance to thwart competition. Amazon, Facebook, and Google are frequent targets of Trump’s ire. —David McLaughlin
Josh Hawley, 39, U.S. senator, Missouri
What He’s Done: Republican former state attorney general who bet early on the techlash with a 2017 antitrust investigation of Google. Elected to the Senate in 2018, allowing him to help steer tech reviews from Washington.
What He Wants: As a freshman Republican senator, sits on the panel that oversees antitrust law. Is stealing much of the limelight on the Hill with plans to crimp Big Tech. Outspoken critic of the FTC, which he sees as ineffective. —B.B.
Chris Hughes, 35, Co-founder, Facebook; co-chair, Economic Security Project
What He’s Done: Wrote stunning New York Times op-ed in May urging the U.S. to break up Facebook and hold Mark Zuckerberg more accountable. Has been visiting federal and state officials and lawmakers to lay out his concerns.
What He Wants: Through the Economic Security Project, is launching a fund to finance academics, think tanks, and artists to help explain the economic impact of dominant companies. —Eric Newcomer
Letitia James, 61, New York attorney general
What She’s Done: A progressive activist elected on a promise to challenge Trump’s agenda, James has won attention for suing opioid manufacturers and investigating the National Rifle Association.
What She Wants: Leading the 45-state antitrust probe against Facebook as well as a coalition of more than a dozen states suing to block T-Mobile US Inc.’s purchase of Sprint Corp., one of the year’s biggest mergers—and one the U.S. has approved. — Erik Larson
Lina Khan, 30, Majority counsel, House Judiciary Committee antitrust panel
What She’s Done: As a Yale law student in 2017, wrote a paper about Amazon.com Inc. and competition, arguing that the current approach to antitrust enforcement is failing in today’s digital economy. Her ideas have since taken center stage in progressive policy circles.
What She Wants: As counsel to the House antitrust panel, she’s shaping an investigation into how the market power of the tech giants may undermine privacy protections, weaken the news media, and discourage entrepreneurship. —D.M.
Luther Lowe, 37, Senior vice president for public policy, Yelp Inc.
What He’s Done: Has proved his mettle as a critic of Google. Spent years pestering federal, state, and European officials to scrutinize Google for antitrust law violations.
What He Wants: Wants U.S. officials to force Google to stop favoring its own services in search results, but is concerned they’ll get distracted by other tech-related issues as investigations progress. — Joshua Brustein
Ken Paxton, 56, Texas attorney general
What He’s Done: A Republican elected in 2015 with Tea Party help who’s built a reputation for opposing liberal initiatives, including Obamacare. Recently reached across party lines on multistate probe of Google. Experts say his investigative team is seasoned and serious.
What He Wants: Some Republicans want to scrutinize Google for anticonservative bias, but Paxton so far is keeping the focus on traditional antitrust areas, issuing lengthy demands for documents on Google’s advertising business. —B.B.
Joe Simons, 61, Chairman, U.S. Federal Trade Commission
What He’s Done: Career antitrust lawyer with two previous stints at the agency. Was put on the defensive when lawmakers and his commissioners portrayed the biggest case of his tenure, a $5 billion fine against Facebook for privacy violations, as a slap on the wrist.
What He Wants: He’s got a shot at redemption in the eyes of his critics: The FTC is reviewing potential antitrust violations by Facebook, including whether its acquisitions of Instagram and WhatsApp should be unwound. —D.M.
Margrethe Vestager, 51, Executive VP, European Commission
What She’s Done: Led Europe’s Big Tech crackdown, winning $9 billion in fines from Google after several high-profile battles. She’s a formidable antitrust enforcer globally and wields more power now in her second term as competition commissioner and tech czar.
What She Wants: Wants to move beyond imposing big fines as penalties, which some say are just a minor cost of doing business for the internet behemoths. Hopes to spur changes in business practices and restore competition. — Aoife White
Kent Walker, 58, Google’s chief legal officer and SVP for global affairs
What He’s Done: Seen as the industry’s leading strategist on how to fend off antitrust probes, having minimized damage to Google after assaults from EU and FTC officials. Took over Google’s political shop in Washington in 2015.
What He Wants: Doesn’t want the U.S. to follow Europe’s looser definition of antitrust violations. Also wants enforcers to more broadly define the markets Google is in. That way its digital advertising share looks smaller next to overall ad market, including TV. —Mark Bergen
Joshua Wright, 42, Lawyer and antitrust scholar
What He’s Done: Flag-bearer for less aggressive antitrust policies. As FTC commissioner from 2013-15, often dissented on enforcement cases. Google financed some of his research at George Mason University. “Of counsel” at Google’s antitrust law firm, Wilson Sonsini.
What He Wants: Argues that political passions are corrupting antitrust law. “Economic analysis has more often than not trumped ideological politics for the past 35 years,” he wrote in 2016. “Let’s keep it that way.” —J.B.
To contact the editor responsible for this story: Paula Dwyer at pdwyer11@bloomberg.net, Dimitra Kessenides
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With assistance from Bloomberg