FTC Chairman Ferguson Doubles Down on Big Tech Antitrust, Easing Broader Merger Enforcement

Washington D.C. – Andrew Ferguson, appointed by former President Donald Trump as the new Chairman of the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) in January 2025, is steering the agency to maintain a rigorous focus on tech giants while signaling a potential shift away from the broader merger scrutiny characteristic of the previous administration. This strategic redirection aligns with longstanding conservative concerns regarding the power and practices of large technology companies.

Bloomberg reported that Ferguson is "maintaining the agency's focus on tech giants and putting new muscle behind longstanding conservative complaints." This indicates a continued, and possibly intensified, antitrust enforcement against leading tech firms. Trump lauded Ferguson as someone with a "proven record of standing up to Big Tech censorship" and promised he would be "the most America First, and pro-innovation FTC Chair in our Country's History."

Ferguson inherits significant ongoing cases against major technology companies. These include the FTC's lawsuit against Meta Platforms, which seeks to unwind its acquisitions of Instagram and WhatsApp. The agency is also pursuing cases against Amazon, targeting tactics related to seller binding and Prime subscription cancellation practices, and continuing probes into Microsoft's operations.

While the focus on tech remains robust, Ferguson's tenure is expected to diverge from his predecessor, Lina Khan, in other areas of antitrust enforcement. He has previously dissented from some of Khan's policies, such as the nationwide non-compete rule, and is anticipated to adopt a more traditional approach to mergers and acquisitions outside the tech sector. This could lead to a less aggressive stance on corporate consolidation in other industries.

The new chairman has explicitly stated his intention to address "Big Tech censorship" through antitrust enforcement. Ferguson believes that if social media platforms or advertisers collude to suppress free speech, such actions should be prosecuted as violations of U.S. antitrust law. This perspective underscores a key aspect of the "conservative complaints" the agency now aims to address.