Big Tech Policy

EU policymakers frame their legislative and regulatory actions against U.S. tech companies as measures to promote competition and protect consumers. But they operate as protectionist trade barriers and revenue-generating mechanisms.

Watch now for a discussion with experts on e-commerce regulation, logistics, and policy as they explored the growth of Chinese e-commerce platforms, their impact on U.S. businesses and consumers, and how policymakers and industry leaders should respond.

U.S. trade negotiations must go beyond tariffs to confront the growing trend of foreign governments targeting American tech companies with discriminatory regulations, taxes, and fines. These non-tariff attacks undermine U.S. innovation and global competitiveness and must be a central focus to protect America’s techno-economic leadership.

While U.S. antitrust enforcement is likely to shift under a second Trump administration, ongoing cases against Big Tech are expected to continue. Rather than doubling down on neo-Brandeisian antitrust, the Trump administration should use evidence-based policymaking that recognizes how firms evolve in response to incentives and market dynamics.

Vice President Vance was right to warn against stifling AI innovation with excessive regulation, but the Trump administration must go further by pushing back against policies like the EU’s Digital Markets Act and similar U.S. regulatory efforts that undermine American tech leadership. To maintain global competitiveness, the U.S. should support its leading tech companies, ensuring they have the scale and capital needed to drive AI and technological advancements, rather than subjecting them to restrictive regulations that benefit foreign competitors.

The DeepSeek breakthrough does not vindicate or discredit antitrust policies but is a wake-up call. Rather than celebrating moves to hobble its tech ecosystem, the United States needs a coherent national strategy that leverages all American innovative capabilities to ensure U.S. AI leadership.

The FTC's surprising decision to partner with Chinese-owned Temu in its antitrust case against Amazon reveals a dangerous misalignment between American antitrust policy and national security interests, highlighting how regulatory overreach could end up strengthening China's tech dominance.

The pattern of dominant hi-tech companies isn’t an accident or the result of nefarious deeds; it reflects fundamental industry dynamics—and it has been hugely beneficial. Making sure these businesses remain American should be an overriding policy goal.

America’s leading tech companies strengthen U.S. technological superiority by making massive investments in advanced technologies like quantum computing and AI, which are crucial strategic assets in an era of intensifying competition with China.

Rob Atkinson appeared on the POLITICO Tech podcast to discuss President Trump's initial executive orders aimed at the tech sector and why the industry should still have its guard up.