Big Tech's little mergers draw more U.S. antitrust scrutiny


FILE PHOTO: The logos of Amazon, Apple, Facebook and Google in a combination photo/File Photo

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -U.S. Federal Trade Commission staff presented data on Wednesday on small acquisitions by five big technology companies, and the agency scrapped guidelines on vertical mergers which combine a company with a supplier -- both steps indicating plans to be tougher on deals.

Following a study begun during the Trump administration, the FTC staff found that Facebook, Alphabet's Google, Amazon.com, Apple and Microsoft together had 616 acquisitions from 2010 to 2019 that were above $1 million but too small to be reported to antitrust agencies, among other findings.

Subscribe or renew your subscriptions to win prizes worth up to RM68,000!

Monthly Plan

RM13.90/month

Annual Plan

RM12.33/month

Billed as RM148.00/year

1 month

Free Trial

For new subscribers only


Cancel anytime. No ads. Auto-renewal. Unlimited access to the web and app. Personalised features. Members rewards.
Follow us on our official WhatsApp channel for breaking news alerts and key updates!

   

Next In Tech News

How 'CoComelon' became a mass media juggernaut for preschoolers
Evolution of smartphone damage: From drips to drops
Are you tracking your health with a device? Here's what could happen with the data
US judge rejects SEC bid to sanction Elon Musk
What's really happening when you agree to a website's terms of service
Samsung ordered to pay $118 million for infringing Netlist patents
Sirius XM found liable in New York lawsuit over subscription cancellations
US Supreme Court tosses case involving securities fraud suit against Facebook
Amazon doubles down on AI startup Anthropic with another $4 billion
Factbox-Who are bankrupt Northvolt's creditors?

Others Also Read