FTC takes more conservative approach in Amazon case
It finally happened. The Federal Trade Commission and 17 states (though, not Washington) filed a lawsuit against Amazon.
The Seattle company has been in the crosshairs of federal regulators for years, and the suit has wide-reaching implications for the online retail, cloud computing, grocery, and entertainment giant.
This is the biggest test yet of FTC Chair Lina Khan’s vision for a more progressive antitrust enforcement agenda, what critics have knocked as “hipster antitrust.”
But the 172-page complaint is more rooted in tradition than some had predicted.
"The lawsuit was a little more conservative than I think some people expected," said New York Times technology reporter Karen Weise.
"I think the FTC has lost a number of cases now related to, for example, acquisitions and things like that," Weise said. "And so it seems like they were taking a more cautious approach in many senses."
Listen to Soundside’s full conversation with Karen Weise by clicking the play icon at the top of this story.
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Libby Denkmann
Host, Soundside
Libby Denkmann joined KUOW in December 2021 as the host of the midday show Soundside. She’s a native Pacific Northwesterner who grew up in Redmond, graduated from the University of Washington, and covered local news as a producer and reporter with KIRO Radio.
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Hans Anderson
Producer, Soundside
Hans Anderson is a producer on KUOW’s Soundside, where he covers a diverse range of topics from conflicts over how to use busy streets to how the open spaces of the Palouse inspire modern musical compositions. He primarily produces segments about politics, arts and transportation.
More stories from Hans Anderson »
