Why the U.S. government is suing Amazon
Post Reports
The Washington Post
4.4 • 5.1K Ratings
🗓️ 3 October 2023
⏱️ 23 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Is Amazon an illegal monopoly? The Federal Trade Commission is arguing yes — and it’s taking that argument to court. We take a look at what’s behind the FTC’s lawsuit against Amazon and the implications for your everyday online shopping experience.
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The lawsuit tech policy nerds like Cat Zakrzewski have been waiting for is finally here. Last week, the Federal Trade Commission filed a landmark antitrust suit against the online retail giant Amazon. And the consequences for the future of online shopping could be enormous.
Zakrzewski, a tech reporter for The Post, explains the ins and outs of the FTC’s argument, how Amazon might fight back, and what’s behind the latest Biden administration push to crack down on Silicon Valley.
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | I am deeply honored to have been nominated by President Biden to serve as a Commissioner |
| 0:07.8 | of the Federal Trade Commission. |
| 0:09.8 | For the last decade, I have focused on studying and investigating markets across our economy |
| 0:14.9 | and examining the laws that enable honest and fair competition. |
| 0:19.6 | When Lena Khan was first confirmed as the head of the Federal Trade Commission over two |
| 0:23.4 | years ago, she was known as this quintessential David taking on the Goliath of the Tech World. |
| 0:29.9 | In other words, Amazon. |
| 0:32.2 | Her article on Amazon, which she wrote while still in law school, went viral and was described |
| 0:38.8 | by The New York Times as reframing decades of monopoly law. |
| 0:43.2 | You wrote an interesting paper entitled, Amazon's Antitrust Paradox, where you... |
| 0:50.1 | I'm in the Amazon article, you know, I really identified two potential pathways. |
| 0:56.0 | Last week, that battle became a reality. |
| 0:59.2 | The big tech policy news was this historic antitrust lawsuit that nerdy reporters like |
| 1:05.3 | me have been waiting for for years and years was finally filed against Amazon. |
| 1:10.5 | We saw 17 states in the Federal Trade Commission joined together to accuse the company of being |
| 1:16.5 | a monopoly. |
| 1:18.1 | That's Kat Sacreski, tech policy reporter for The Post. |
| 1:21.8 | She's been watching Amazon for years. |
| 1:24.6 | And by the way, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos owns The Washington Post, and our interim CEO |
| 1:30.0 | Patty Stone-Siphers sits on Amazon's board. |
| 1:32.8 | It's effectively the biggest political test that Amazon, one of the most powerful companies |
| 1:38.4 | in the world, has ever faced in Washington. |
... |
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