On September 24, AAI President Diana Moss will testify before the Senate Committee on the Judiciary’s Subcommittee on Antitrust, Competition Policy and Consumer Rights. The hearing, “Competition in Digital Technology Markets: Examining Acquisitions of Nascent or Potential Competitors by Digital Platforms,” will include the Federal Trade Commission’s Bruce Hoffman, George Mason Professor John Yun, and Trinity Ventures’ Patricia Nakache.
In her testimony, Dr. Moss will share the findings of AAI’s work on acquisitions by Big Tech. AAI’s empirical analysis provides important, fact-based support for stronger antitrust enforcement involving acquisitions of nascent and potential competitors.
AAI’s testimony will highlight the fact that the DOJ’s and FTC’s record of U.S. merger enforcement in the Big Tech industry is far lower than across all sectors. She will highlight AAI’s past advocacy work urging enforcers to look into acquisitions by Big Tech and a recent letter to the DOJ highlighting rapid consolidation in cloud infrastructure.
Finally, Moss will explain the likely reasons why merger enforcement in Big Tech is weak, many of which have contributed to poor competition policy in the sector, and propose reforms that will strengthen it.
Resources:
- New Analysis from AAI Shows a Weak Record of Antitrust Enforcement in Big Tech — Calls for Stronger Presumptions for Acquisitions of Smaller, Potential, and Nascent Rivals
- AAI Urges the DOJ to Look Into Google’s Proposed Acquisition of Data Analytics and Business Intelligence Startup Looker — Highlights Rapid Consolidation in Cloud Infrastructure
- A comprehensive list of AAI’s work in the Big Tech area can be found at https://www.antitrustinstitute.org/issues/technology.
