/
Navigation
Chronicles
Browse all articles
Explore
Semantic exploration
Research
Entity momentum
Nexus
Correlations & relationships
Story Arc
Topic evolution
Drift Map
Semantic trajectory animation
Posts
Analysis & commentary
Pulse API
Tech news intelligence API
Browse
Entities
Companies, people, products, technologies
Domains
Browse by publication source
Handles
Browse by social media handle
Detection
Concept Search
Semantic similarity search
High Impact Stories
Top coverage by position
Sentiment Analysis
Positive/negative coverage
Anomaly Detection
Unusual coverage patterns
Analysis
Rivalry Report
Compare two entities head-to-head
Semantic Pivots
Narrative discontinuities
Crisis Response
Event recovery patterns
Connected
Search: /
Command: ⌘K
Embeddings: large
TEXXR

Chronicles

The story behind the story

days · browse · Enter similar · o open

The FTC and 17 US states sue Amazon for allegedly using monopoly power to raise its prices, force sellers to pay fulfillment and ad fees, and harm its rivals

- Amazon is facing its first set of antitrust charges from the U.S. federal government after the Federal Trade Commission filed …

CNBC

Discussion

  • @tomgara Tom Gara on threads
    The the classic things people famously hate about Amazon: high prices, bad service, never does anything new or innovative
  • @benedictevans Benedict Evans on threads
    Market definition is the starting point for any competition case.  But to argue that Amazon's market is ‘online’ retail is inescapably to argue that it doesn't compete with physical retailers - that it didn't compete with Barnes & Noble and doesn't threaten physical stores.  That…
  • @linakhanftc Lina Khan on x
    1. Today @FTC and 17 state AGs filed a lawsuit detailing how Amazon uses punitive & coercive tactics to unlawfully maintain its monopolies. Amazon is exploiting its monopoly power to enrich itself while raising prices & degrading service for its customers. https://www.ftc.gov/...
  • @sensanders Bernie Sanders on x
    I applaud the FTC for bringing this lawsuit against Amazon. The company is a poster child for the massive concentration of ownership in sector after sector that fills the pockets of shareholders and forces Americans to pay higher prices. It's time to break up Big Tech monopolies.
  • @matthewstoller Matt Stoller on x
    It's interesting there's support for the FTC's antitrust case against Amazon. Former Best Buy CEO Hubert Joly is on CNBC saying that “there are certain practices” by Amazon that should be looked at.
  • @chrismurphyct @chrismurphyct on x
    Giant, profit-obsessed corporations like Amazon have way too much power. They are essentially private governments, totally unaccountable but setting the rules that run our economy. Joe Biden knows this is wrong. And his team is doing something about it. https://www.cbsnews.com/..…
  • @macton93 Michael Acton on x
    #Amazon #FTC - now I have some answers, I have a bunch of questions. 🧵 First and foremost: we need to know more about this guy, and why Amazon ended up naming a secret project after him 👇 [image]
  • @macton93 Michael Acton on x
    Coughenour has handled Amazon before. He's presided over a case involving Amazon and Apple's iOS product resale agreements.
  • @zachweinberg @zachweinberg on x
    The irony of these hilariously awful FTC suits against products ppl love (like Amazon) is the single biggest culprit for monopoly power is complex government regulations. Expensive to understand, expensive to adhere to, protectionist for existing players vs future innovators.
  • @munster_gene Gene Munster on x
    My take: I think Amazon will win. Even though the company dominates online shopping, there are still endless ways buyers and sellers can transact outside of Amazon (e.g., Walmart, Best Buy, Target, Shein, Temu, Etsy, etc.), evidence the company is not a monopoly.
  • @macton93 Michael Acton on x
    #Amazon #FTC case assigned to U.S. District Judge John C. Coughenour.
  • @jason @jason on x
    E-commerce founders/investors: 1. is this @linakhanFTC claim true: “If @Amazon discovers that a seller is offering lower-priced goods elsewhere, Amazon can bury discounting sellers so far down in Amazon's search results that they become effectively invisible.” 2. Big...
  • @robleathern @robleathern on x
    “According to the FTC, advertised products on Amazon are 46 times more likely to be clicked on by customers compared with products that are not advertised. The FTC argues that Amazon's ad-stuffed search results make shopping a worse experience for customers, but the fact that...
  • @stevesi Steven Sinofsky on x
    // There's a new market definition called “online superstore”-Who is in it? What does it mean? How can a consumer know? Filing sure reads like Walmart is on the side of FTC. Old enough to remember when “offline [sic] superstore” was the regulatory rage... https://www.cnbc.com/...
  • @matthewstoller Matt Stoller on x
    FTC is frustrated with all the redactions in the complaint and is blaming Amazon, says they have 14 days to provide compelling justifications to keep this information secret.
  • @papscun Dan Papscun on x
    Remember the evidentiary issues caused by Google's use of self-deleting chats? Looks like that may again be a problem here. “Amazon prejudicially [...] despite Plaintiffs' instructing Amazon not to do so.” [image]
  • @gregbensinger @gregbensinger on x
    As expected, Amazon has been sued by FTC over alleged monopoly power, particularly over its use of Prime, seller relationships to artificially inflate prices Interestingly, remedy is not a breakup, rather an injunction on the offending practices https://www.reuters.com/...
  • @macton93 Michael Acton on x
    #Amazon #FTC - here's what we know from briefing with Lina Khan this morning. We don't have the lawsuit itself just yet. - Focused on Amazon pricing policies and fulfillment service (FBA) - 17 states joined - Filed in Seattle - Not seeking breakup at this stage
  • @eric_seufert Eric Seufert on x
    The FTC's strategy at this point is inscrutable and baffling. It's unclear to me how it might be possible for the agency to score even a moral victory in this case.
  • @adamkovac Adam Kovacevich on x
    This is a new issue, potentially added to the case to win over state AGs: Amazon favors ads over organic results, and its own products over competitors. These are going to be a stretch under antitrust law. Amazon doesn't owe positions to sellers. [image]
  • @adamkovac Adam Kovacevich on x
    Similarly to CA AG Bonta and private class actions, FTC alleges that Amazon “buy box” policies keep prices high on OTHER sites (not Amazon) [image]
  • @adamkovac Adam Kovacevich on x
    FTC's other core argument is about Amazon tying Prime to FBA. The only problem is that Amazon has offered an alternative for this: seller-fulfilled prime. European regulators accepted that as a remedy for this concern. [image]
  • @adamkovac Adam Kovacevich on x
    FTC Amazon includes only 17 state AGs (12 Dem, 2 Rep, 3 Non-partisan) FTC Meta complaint had 48; DOJ Google search case has 38. Not exactly a huge sign of political support for the case. [image]
  • @adamkovac Adam Kovacevich on x
    FTC's Amazon suit is out. Initial reactions: - As expected, case is centered around Amazon Prime and Buy Box - Previously reported effort to break apart Amazon Prime bundle seems to have been dropped - New items on search “bias"/favoritism https://www.ftc.gov/...
  • @adamkovac Adam Kovacevich on x
    Kinda weak for FTC to not post link to actual complaint alongside their press release. I assume the press strategy is to focus on the big takeaways before people can start deconstructing the complaint, but c'mon. https://www.ftc.gov/...
  • @willoremus Will Oremus on x
    @Cat_Zakrzewski The FTC's antitrust lawsuit does *not* seek a breakup of Amazon. Instead it seeks a permanent injunction on specific tactics it says are hurting competition—like punishing sellers who don't use Amazon's fulfillment services and deterring them from offering lower p…
  • @khushitavasant @khushitavasant on x
    . @Amazon conditions sellers' ability to obtain “Prime” eligibility for their products—a virtual necessity for doing business on Amazon—on sellers. · #Amazon degrades customer experience by replacing relevant, organic search results with paid advertisements. #antitrust @FTC
  • @khushitavasant @khushitavasant on x
    States AGs joining @FTC: Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, New Hampshire, New Mexico, Nevada, New York, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and Wisconsin. #Amazon #antitrust
  • @khushitavasant @khushitavasant on x
    Today, @FTC hit @Amazon with a landmark #antitrust suit. Some facts while we await actual complaint: · Amazon's anticompetitive conduct occurs in two markets—online superstore market serving shoppers & the market for online marketplace services purchased by sellers.
  • r/ThePPShow r on reddit
    Prob nothing, but it is Interesting timing... makes me wonder if this sudden lawsuit is just to lay the groundwork for attempting to block a Teddy merger
  • r/technology r on reddit
    FTC files “the big one,” a lawsuit alleging Amazon illegally maintains monopoly
  • r/politics r on reddit
    FTC Sues Amazon for Illegally Maintaining Monopoly Power
  • r/TwoBestFriendsPlay r on reddit
    The FTC is suing Amazon for maintaining a monopoly
  • r/BBBY r on reddit
    FTC sues Amazon regarding monopoly
  • r/technology r on reddit
    US accuses Amazon of illegally protecting monopoly in online retail
  • r/law r on reddit
    FTC and 17 states sue Amazon on antitrust charges
  • @willoremus Will Oremus on x
    I wrote about the surprising pragmatism of Lina Khan's Amazon antitrust lawsuit — and how it gives up on a lot of the more radical ideas in her famous law review paper. https://www.washingtonpost.com/ ...