Antitrust experts are proposing a significant impact in the tech landscape and beyond due to the Federal Trade Commission’s (FTC) assertive approach to big tech and other corporate mergers, predicting continuity in this stance as we move further into 2024. These forecasts predominantly focus on the possible threats these mergers may pose to competition and the labour market.
The FTC, in conjunction with the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) Antitrust Division, plans to integrate newly drafted merger guidelines deep within the judicial process. As former FTC Chair William Kovacic explains, the effectiveness of these guidelines largely depends on their acceptance by the courts. The perceived priority for FTC and DOJ is finding opportunities to put these guidelines into practice in several merger cases in the imminent future. It’s speculated that initial steps in this direction have already been made.