Articles about Antitrust

Nearly two years later, FTC drops final challenge to Microsoft’s Activision-Blizzard deal

Like a seasoned gamer navigating a tricky boss fight, Microsoft has completed one of the most high-stakes regulatory campaigns in… Read More

Amazon and FTC set to square off in ‘Economics Day’ hearing in Seattle federal court

Amazon and the U.S. Federal Trade Commission will get a chance to educate the federal judge in the FTC’s antitrust… Read More

Unsealed order in Amazon antitrust suit lets entire FTC case proceed, dismisses some state claims

A week after a federal judge in Seattle issued a sealed order on Amazon’s motion to dismiss the landmark U.S.… Read More

The extent of Amazon’s ‘partial victory’ against the FTC is under wraps for now

A federal judge in Seattle granted in part, and denied in part, Amazon’s motion to dismiss the U.S. Federal Trade… Read More

Podcast

What the Google ruling means for Microsoft Bing; Amazon delivery dilemma; Seattle’s return to office

“I don’t believe there’s a price in the world that Microsoft could offer us. They offered to give us Bing… Read More

Washington state AG joins federal antitrust lawsuit taking on Apple’s smartphone dominance

Washington state Attorney General Bob Ferguson wants to help take a bite out of Apple’s dominance in the smartphone market,… Read More

Reports: Microsoft under new antitrust scrutiny over Inflection deal and AI dominance

Microsoft is facing a pair of new antitrust probes from the Federal Trade Commission, according to reports Wednesday evening from… Read More

Nothing to see here, Amazon tells court in response to FTC’s complaints about Signal messages

At a company known for putting its most important ideas and strategies into comprehensive six-page memos, quick messages between executives… Read More

Microsoft unbundles Office and Teams globally in new attempt to appease antitrust regulators

Microsoft says it will offer its Teams and Office 365 separately for business customers globally, unbundling the two programs and… Read More

Podcast

GeekWire Podcast: Microsoft’s big AI hires, U.S. vs. Apple, and graffiti-fighting drones

This week on the GeekWire Podcast: We peel back the layers of Microsoft’s hiring of AI pioneer Mustafa Suleyman and… Read More

Google to pay Washington state Play Store users as part of $700M antitrust settlement

Google Play Store users in Washington state are eligible for a share of a multistate $700 million antitrust lawsuit settlement… Read More

Amazon asks court to toss FTC case, saying its practices are ‘the essence of competition’

Amazon defended the business practices targeted by the Federal Trade Commission as “the essence of competition” and asked a federal… Read More

EU regulators say Amazon’s iRobot deal could ‘restrict competiton’

Shares of Roomba maker iRobot fell nearly 20% after the European Commission said Amazon’s proposed $1.7 billion acquisition of the… Read More

Podcast

What Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella said in court about Google, Apple, search, and the future of AI

You may have read the juicy sound bites from Satya Nadella in Google’s antitrust trial this week, as the Microsoft… Read More

Report: FTC alleges Amazon tested price increases as part of secret ‘Project Nessie’

The Federal Trade Commission alleges that Amazon’s “Project Nessie” was designed to gauge the impact of its product price increases… Read More

FTC’s case against Amazon hinges on internal messages and secrets yet to be revealed

What lurks beneath all that blacked-out text? That’s the immediate question for anyone reading the Federal Trade Commission’s landmark antitrust… Read More

FTC targets alleged secret Amazon pricing algorithm ‘Project Nessie’ in antitrust complaint

The Federal Trade Commission’s antitrust lawsuit against Amazon alleges, for the first time publicly, that the company used a secret… Read More

FTC and 17 states sue Amazon for maintaining alleged monopoly power that stifles competition

The Federal Trade Commission and 17 state attorneys general filed suit against Amazon on Tuesday, alleging that the Seattle-based tech… Read More

Microsoft will unbundle Teams in Europe in response to antitrust probe

Microsoft will no longer include Microsoft Teams in Microsoft 365 and Office 365 for its primary business customers in the… Read More

How Amazon is changing the ‘Buy Box’ in Europe to resolve antitrust concerns

Amazon will change the way it presents offers from multiple sellers in the all-important “Buy Box” on product pages as… Read More

Beyond Amazon.com: Tech giant’s new Worldwide Stores CEO on its next big bets in e-commerce

There’s a common theme running through some of Amazon’s announcements at its annual conference for sellers in Seattle this week:… Read More

Amazon faces new antitrust lawsuit filed by California AG alleging anticompetitive practices

California filed a lawsuit against Amazon on Wednesday that accuses the Seattle tech giant of violating antitrust laws. Amazon has… Read More

Podcast

Interview: Microsoft’s president on turbulent times for the company, country, and world

Brad Smith, like many in tech and the broader world, thought 2022 might bring a bit of a break. Halfway… Read More

Microsoft’s $68.7 billion Activision Blizzard deal will test new U.S. antitrust approach

Announcing its record-setting deal to acquire game publisher Activision Blizzard for $68.7 billion, Microsoft pointed out that the combination would… Read More

Amazon slips to 4th in global shopping app installs amid rise of international brands

Amazon’s leading position in U.S. e-commerce is well-documented, but the latest global rankings for app installs show the potential for… Read More

Debate: Is Amazon good for small business?

Amazon is a seedbed for new small businesses while providing unprecedented opportunities for entrepreneurs and vital convenience and pricing for… Read More

Italian antitrust regulator fines Amazon $1.3B for abuse of its market position

The Italian government fined Amazon $1.3 billion for gaming its third-party seller platform to favor companies that pay the online… Read More

News publishers, including Seattle group, sue Google and Facebook over market dominance

A group of 30 newspaper publishers, including Seattle-based Robinson Newspapers, have sued Google and Facebook over the way the social… Read More

Amazon CEO Andy Jassy: Antitrust bills risk ‘very serious unintended consequences’ for sellers

Amazon CEO Andy Jassy says online sellers should consider the implications of U.S. antitrust legislation that could force the company… Read More

Amazon CEO Andy Jassy says it’s ‘hard to argue’ its retail business is a monopoly

Facing a new slate of regulators and legislators calling for new principles of antitrust scrutiny, Amazon CEO Andy Jassy made… Read More