Investing.com — President-elect Donald Trump has introduced his intention to raise present FTC Commissioner Andrew Ferguson to the position of Chairman, with the transition anticipated subsequent month.
Whereas Ferguson has signaled help for deregulatory insurance policies, significantly in rising areas like AI, his vocal skepticism towards main know-how firms, together with Meta (NASDAQ:), Google (NASDAQ:), Microsoft (NASDAQ:), Amazon (NASDAQ:), and Apple (NASDAQ:), stands out.
In keeping with Ferguson, his priorities as Chair would come with reversing most of the insurance policies applied below present FTC Chair Lina Khan.
Notably, he has acknowledged he would “Stop Lina Khan’s war on mergers. Most mergers benefit Americans and promote the movement of capital that fuels innovation.”
On AI regulation, Ferguson has pledged to “end the FTC’s attempt to become an AI regulator.”
Nonetheless, his deregulatory stance doesn’t lengthen to Large Tech. Ferguson has promised to “Focus antitrust enforcement against Big Tech monopolies, especially those companies engaged in unlawful censorship.”
He has additionally dedicated to pursuing each structural and behavioral treatments below antitrust legal guidelines to forestall dominant platforms from utilizing their market place to stifle competitors and innovation.
Commenting on this, TD Cowen analysts recommend this might sign a continuation of great FTC actions.
For instance, Ferguson is anticipated to keep up the company’s aggressive strategy to the antitrust lawsuit in opposition to Amazon, with little chance of settling earlier than the trial set for mid-2026.
“And if the FTC wins, his comments suggest he would seek a breakup,” analysts mentioned.
Equally, Ferguson is more likely to maintain the continuing investigation into Microsoft, which reportedly focuses on the corporate’s practices of doubtless tying Azure income to Office365.
Meta can be anticipated to stay within the FTC’s crosshairs, with the company persevering with its uphill authorized battle to power the divestiture of Instagram.
Ferguson may pursue Meta and Google over allegations of censorship, referencing a 2020 govt order directing the FTC to look at “unfair or deceptive acts or practices” associated to speech moderation by Part 230-covered entities.
“In other words, even 230-protected content might be found unlawful by the FTC,” analysts famous.
One other space of focus might be generative AI mergers and acquisitions (M&A). Ferguson’s feedback elevate questions on whether or not the biggest tech companies will face heightened scrutiny of their makes an attempt to amass items of the generative AI ecosystem.
This might complicate efforts by tech giants to leverage M&A as a method to handle dangers and maximize alternatives within the quickly rising area.
