What to know about Trump's antitrust efforts against technological giants

The Trump administration is not stop seeing technological giants.

On Monday, the Federal Trade Commission will face Meta in the Court for claims that the social networks giant turned off the nascent competitors when he bought instagram and WhatsApp. And on April 21, the Department of Justice will argue that a federal judge should force Google to sell its Chrome web browser to limit the power of its search monopoly.

Both cases, which helped launch a new era of antitrust scrutiny, were presented during President Trump's first mandate in office. They were advanced by the Biden Administration, which also filed monopoly lawsuits against the amazon, Apple and Google advertising technology business.

Investors in Silicon Valley and Wall Street expected Trump to show technology companies more deference during his second term, since he promised to deregulate industries. Some legal experts think that administration could still take a lighter hand to block mergers and establish proactive regulations for technology.

But so far, Trump's appointed have promised to continue much of the scrutiny of the largest technological companies, despite the hopes of the industry.

“I think it is possible that they have not fully focused on how much Trump's presidency had to do with implementing this technology reexamination” Bill Kovacic said, a former FTC president.

This is what you should know.

Who is in charge of the antitrust application now?

Trump appointed Andrew Ferguson as president of the FTC, who enforces the antimonopoly and consumer protection laws. Ferguson, a lawyer who spent much of his career working for powerful Republican senators, has said he wants to increase the scrutiny of the ways in which social media companies decide to take publications. The conservatives have complained for years that platforms such as facebook and YouTube disproportionately censor the views of the right.

“I will launch all the resources that the agency has in the prosecution of the cases against great technologies that we have,” Ferguson said in an appearance in the Bloomberg Podcast “Odd Lots” this year.

The new leader of the Antimonopoolio Division of the Department of Justice, Gail Slater, a veteran technology and media lawyer, worked at the White House during Mr. Trump's first mandate. He has also promised to enforce the aggressively antitrust laws.

“Now it is a bipartisan problem, and there is a consensus on the need for a robust antimonopoopoly application,” Slater said in an event organized this month by and Combinator, the start accelerator of Silicon Valley, which has presented a greater antimonopoly scrutiny of technological giants.

Where are the main antitrust demands against technological giants?

Five government cases accuse technology companies of maintaining illegal monopolies, and all are moving through the courts. Companies deny the accusations.

• The FTC sued the goal in 2020, arguing that its instagram acquisitions in 2012 and WhatsApp in 2014 violated the law by using what regulators call a strategy of “buying or burying” to eliminate their nascent rivals. The trial is expected to last in July and present testimony of high profile figures, including the executive director of Meta, Mark Zuckerberg.

• The Department of Justice sued Google in 2020 for statements that he had the monopoly in the online search. A federal judge failed for the government last year and will convene an hearing of approximately three weeks on how to address Google monopoly. The Government has suggested that the company sells Chrome, among other measures. Google has proposed less restrictions and said it plans to appeal.

• The Department of Justice accused Google in 2023 of illegally dominating the advertising technology business. A federal judge listened to arguments in that case last year, and a ruling is expected soon.

• The FTC accused amazon in a 2023 demand to squeeze small merchants who use their market to sell to consumers. A federal judge rejected amazon's attempt to dismiss the case last year. It is scheduled to go to trial next year.

• The Department of Justice sued Apple last year for stating that the company's interlaced technology ecosystem makes it difficult for consumers to abandon their iPhones and iPads. Apple has asked a federal judge to dismiss the claim.

What about the mergers and acquisitions of the technology industry?

The Biden administration tried and could not block numerous technological offers, including the purchase of a small virtual reality company, inside. The impulse to stop acquisitions outraged investors to support small businesses that wish to retire when they are acquired by a technological giant.

Trump's appointed say they want to leave the acquisition path that they do not present a competitive problem. Mrs. Slater has expressed an opening to companies that propose agreements, such as selling similar assets, which can help resolve concerns about agreements.

At the end of January, the Department of Justice demanded to block the Hewlett Packard Enterprise business software company to buy Juniper Networks, a network company, for $ 14 billion. It was the first demand to challenge a technological agreement in Mr. Trump's second mandate.

During Trump's first administration, the Department of Justice defined unsuccessfully the purchase of Time Warner by AT&T.

What does this mean for the artificial intelligence career?

Last year, the Department of Justice and the FTC agreed to divide the responsibility of investigating whether the biggest players in artificial intelligence violated antitrust laws. The Department of Justice began investigating Nvidia, while the FTC led Microsoft and its partner, OpenAi.

It is not clear if these investigations will result in demands. The Trump administration has promised to clear the way for US companies to develop, including terminating an executive order of the Biden era that puts railings on the use of technology.

The administration has requested the opinion of the industry on the best way to advance with the policy about technology, an opening that companies and investors took to press for less rules.

“I think it is extremely important that we protect competition in the space of ai, but I think it is equally important that the government does not compete to regulate ai,” Ferguson said in Bloomberg TV in March.