What the tech antitrust hearing did and did not prove

What the Tech Antitrust Hearing Did and Did Not Prove | Tech In :60 | GZERO Media
Nicholas Thompson, editor-in-chief of WIRED, discusses technology industry news today:


What happened at the antitrust hearings this week?

Well, CEOs of Apple, Amazon, Google, Facebook testified in front of the Subcommittee in Antitrust of the House Judiciary Committee for five hours. There's a fair amount of nonsense and conspiracy talk, but mostly it was a pretty good hearing where the House members dug into questions about whether four companies abused their market positions to their advantage? Whether they used predatory pricing to drive competitors out of the market? Whether they used inside information from their services to identify and then copy and kill competitors? And the evidence that was presented, if I were to sum it up quickly, is, yes, they did do that. They did abuse their market power. But what wasn't presented was clear evidence of consumer harm. We know they acted in ways that distorted capitalism, but were people really hurt? That's a big question. I look forward to their report.

More from GZERO Media

Silhouettes of soldiers stand in front of a computer screen displaying an image of President Donald Trump, alongside a Palestinian flag, on Feb. 05, 2025.
Artur Widak/NurPhoto via Reuters

Unsurprisingly, much of the world reacted with horror to US President Donald Trump’s call on Monday, at a press conference with Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu, for the deportation of the Gaza Strip’s 2.2 million people and a US takeover of the enclave.

U.S. President Donald President Trump speaks after it was announced Bahrain has joined the United Arab Emirates in striking an agreement to normalize relations with Israel during a brief appearance in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, U.S., September 11, 2020.
REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque

Thursday is the deadline for federal employees to accept the Trump administration’s offer of eight months of pay and benefits in exchange for abandoning their posts. As of Wednesday, more than 40,000 employees, less than 2% of the federal workforce, had reportedly accepted the buyout.

Close up of South African flag.
IMAGO/Westlight via Reuters Connect

Elon Musk got on the phone Wednesday with South African President Cyril Ramaphosa following the Tesla CEO’s condemnation of Pretoria’s “openly racist” land ownership laws and threats by US President Donald Trump to withdraw $400 million in aid.

Philippine Vice President Sara Duterte attends a legislative inquiry into her office's use of public funds at the House of Representatives, in Quezon City, Philippines, on Nov. 25, 2024.
REUTERS/Eloisa Lopez/File Photo

One of the most ferocious family feuds in global politics has escalated, as Philippines Vice President Sara Dutertewas impeached by the country’s lower house on Wednesday.

- YouTube

Ian's Quick Take: The US Agency for International Development is in the process of being shut down. Nearly all Washington staff have been put on leave, they're closing missions abroad, the State Department moving to evacuate all staff around the world. Why should we care? Does this matter?