The influx of hardline antitrust professionals into the Biden administration points to Democrats a new toughness in technology.
Why it’s important: Technology companies that grew unrestricted by regulation during the Obama administration will now be under the scrutiny of advocates who have made a name for themselves by targeting the size and power of monsters.
Lina Khan, known in antitrust circles for her ideas on how to prevent platforms like Amazon from competing directly with sellers, she is being examined as a candidate for a position as the FTC’s democratic commissioner, according to two sources familiar with the matter. Politician first reported the news.
- Khan is a former public interest advocate who stayed at the FTC working for former Democratic Commissioner Rohit Chopra and served as an adviser to the House Judiciary Committee during his one-year investigation into Big Tech.
- Khan represents a new school of antitrust thinking, where the size of companies, market dominance, and the treatment of competitors are considered anti-competitive behavior that regulators must take into account, rather than judging the power of monopoly primarily for damages. to consumers.
Team Wu, known for coining the term “net neutrality,” he was named special assistant to the president for technology and competition policy.
- His role in the White House will also include competition policy in other industries, according to a New York Times report.
- Wu is a professor at Columbia University and author of “The Curse of Bigness” about the dangers of Big Tech’s growing power.
- He previously worked for the New York Attorney General and also served as an advisor to the FTC and the White House National Economic Council during the Obama administration.
Note: The Senate Judiciary Committee is holding its confirmation hearing on Tuesday for civil rights lawyer Vanita Gupta, nominated for deputy attorney general.
- If confirmed, Gupta, who has been critical with Facebook, would oversee the antitrust and civil rights divisions of the Justice Department. However, Biden has not yet appointed a leader for the antitrust division.
What they say: “The president has made it clear, in the campaign, and probably more recently, that he opposes the abuse of power, and that includes the abuse of power by large technology companies and their executives, ”the White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki last week.
Reality check: The roles that Khan and Wu will play in the administration are not the final decision makers, so while they will influence the formation of the debate, they will not have the final say on the results.
What to see: Biden’s decision to lead the antitrust division of the Justice Department and the permanent president of the FTC, which initiated cases against Google and Facebook last year, will shed more light on the administration’s stance on antitrust enforcement .