https://medium.com/datadriveninvestor/elizabeth-warren-antitrust-reform-and-big-tech-305afbdaee0e

Kelsey MullaneBlockedUnblockFollowFollowingMar 15Photo: Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call/APLast week, Democratic presidential candidate and Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren released a plan to “break up” the growing monopolies owned by Facebook, Google, and Amazon. In it, she argues that today’s big tech companies have accumulated vast amounts of power over our economy, democracy, and society, which they have used to eliminate competition, stifle innovation, and exert influence over policymakers. To address Big Tech’s accumulation of power and anti-competitive behavior, Warren calls for new legislation that would regulate large tech platforms and the appointment of federal regulators who will enforce our antitrust laws and retroactively terminate anti-competitive mergers.

Since its release, Warren’s plan has become a topic of public discussion. Predictably, allies of the technology industry are arguing that Warren’s claims are false and that her plan will ultimately hurt consumers and the technology industry. In the academic and legal circles, Warren’s plan has been met with mixed reviews. Elane Fox, a professor of trade regulation at the New York University School of Law, commended Warren’s ideas; however, she also warned that they might not be easy to implement due to the conservative interpretation of antitrust law by our courts. On the other hand, Tim Wu, a professor at Colombia University and antitrust scholar, supported Warren’s call for the retroactive undoing of problematic mergers.