DOJ Should Avoid “Big Is Bad” Antimonopoly Ideology in Cases Against Big Tech, Says ITIF

WASHINGTON—Ahead of the U.S. Department of Justice’s (DOJ) expected filing of an antitrust lawsuit Tuesday alleging that Google violated federal antitrust law to the detriment of corporate rivals and consumers, Robert D. Atkinson, ITIF’s President, issued the following statement:

One reason Silicon Valley has grown to be envy of the world is because the United States has provided a fertile ground for startups to grow into global tech leaders. Most countries want to replicate this success, and many are willing to do so by using a variety of policy tools, including tax and antitrust, to bring down U.S. tech companies a peg or two to support their own domestic companies. As such, the Department of Justice needs to take this into account in any antitrust investigations of U.S. tech companies.

While the DOJ should always take action against any anti-competitive conduct that hurts consumers, they should avoid structural remedies, which are often grounded in a “big is bad” anti-monopoly ideology without considering the broader implications that such a policy would have on innovation.