The hottest Antitrust Substack posts right now

And their main takeaways
Category
Top U.S. Politics Topics

Government Stupidity Is By Design

BIG by Matt Stoller • 41024 implied HN points • 24 Aug 23
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Antitrust
  1. Unwinding booby trapped bureaucracies takes time, but changes are happening.
  2. Antitrust enforcers are causing a stir by making big corporations disclose more information during mergers.
  3. The government is improving merger review processes by requiring more transparency and data disclosure.

Did Google, Facebook, and Amazon Endorse Jim Crow?

BIG by Matt Stoller • 25210 implied HN points • 02 Mar 24
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Antitrust
  1. The Supreme Court is currently considering a case involving tech giants like Google, Facebook, and Amazon and the question of whether economic regulations for these platforms are unconstitutional under the First Amendment.
  2. The case has broad societal implications, touching on antitrust, privacy, civil rights, and speech liability claims against big tech firms. The argument raised questions about the extent of tech companies' rights to make decisions like racial segregation or account deletions based on political views.
  3. The case illustrates how the influence of Robert Bork, a conservative antitrust lawyer, has shaped modern American corporate state, particularly the broad support for a society run by big tech, challenging the traditional role of democratically elected officials in regulating private tech platforms.

Labor Unions Are Industrial Policy

BIG by Matt Stoller • 32430 implied HN points • 04 Nov 23
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Antitrust
  1. Labor unions can influence corporate investment decisions and set industrial policy.
  2. There is a shift towards empowering workers to have a greater say in how corporations operate.
  3. The rise of antitrust enforcement, labor activism, and focus on domestic manufacturing subsidies are interconnected in challenging the influence of financiers and middlemen.

The $25B Kroger-Albertsons Merger Is Going to Fail

BIG by Matt Stoller • 19710 implied HN points • 28 Feb 24
💼 Business Antitrust
  1. The $25 billion Kroger-Albertsons merger is facing challenges as the Federal Trade Commission and nine states sue to block it due to potential negative impacts on consumer prices and wages.
  2. The case is significant because it involves a novel application of antitrust law, focusing on labor grounds and the impact on union bargaining terms.
  3. The merger's potential consequences, including higher prices and lower wages, have sparked political response from politicians and unions, indicating widespread concern and opposition.
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How to Humiliate an Economist

BIG by Matt Stoller • 32544 implied HN points • 27 May 23
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Antitrust
  1. Judge criticized American Airlines and JetBlue's experts for being dishonest.
  2. Economic experts at consulting firms like Compass Lexecon have conflicts of interest.
  3. Judge Sorokin's ruling against the Northeast Alliance indicates a potential end to airline consolidation.

It's time to change how we cover Elon Musk

Platformer • 3537 implied HN points • 08 Aug 23
🕹 Technology Antitrust
  1. It's important to approach coverage of Elon Musk with skepticism due to his history of broken promises and exaggerations.
  2. Journalists should be more skeptical and critical of Musk's statements, especially those that could impact markets or public perception.
  3. Musk's tendency to make bold announcements without following through highlights the need for increased scrutiny in media coverage of his statements.

Here are the Five Areas the New DOJ Task Force on Monopolies in Health Care Should Focus On

HEALTH CARE un-covered • 499 implied HN points • 23 May 24
🏥 Health Politics Antitrust
  1. Insurers buying doctor practices is a big problem. When insurance companies own the doctors, it creates a conflict of interest and can limit patient choices.
  2. The connection between insurance companies and pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) is concerning. This merger can hurt small pharmacies and affect how patients access medications.
  3. Prior authorization is making it harder for patients to get necessary care. Insurance companies use this process to delay or deny treatments, which can lead to serious health risks.

AI-driven layoffs, up close and personal

Alex's Personal Blog • 262 implied HN points • 15 Dec 25
🕹 Technology Antitrust
  1. Roomba's maker has filed for bankruptcy and looks set to be sold, showing how failed deals and market-power fights can wipe out small hardware companies.
  2. CEOs are planning bigger AI budgets while workers, especially in writing and small agencies, are already losing jobs as cheaper, 'good enough' automation replaces paid labor.
  3. A nearby mass shooting made gun violence feel immediate and personal, highlighting how these events disrupt communities and how social media often spreads harmful rumors.

Amazon Should Acquire PayPal

QTR’s Fringe Finance • 27 implied HN points • 23 Feb 26
💼 Business Antitrust
  1. Buying PayPal would give Amazon an instant, global payments and crypto platform—including peer-to-peer payments and merchant acquiring—and let it compete more directly with Apple and Google while deepening Prime’s customer lock‑in.
  2. Amazon has the balance sheet and liquidity to move fast with an all‑cash bid and could potentially buy PayPal at an attractive valuation after its stock slide, shortening or avoiding a prolonged bidding war.
  3. Significant risks remain — board decisions, financing, and regulatory review could block a deal — but Amazon might face fewer antitrust objections than a direct payments competitor attempting the same acquisition.

ESG - from hype to gripe

Irina Slav on energy • 1198 implied HN points • 22 Jan 24
💼 Business Antitrust
  1. The number of S&P 500 companies talking about ESG has dropped significantly.
  2. Companies are still adopting ESG measures but are now reluctant to talk about it due to fear of consequences.
  3. Business leaders are struggling with how to showcase their ESG efforts amidst regulatory challenges and criticism.

The Great Consolidation

Deep Pulusani - Risk • 333 implied HN points • 30 Sep 25
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Antitrust
  1. Banks, media, and big corporations are becoming fewer and more powerful, concentrating wealth and political influence and leaving local communities, small businesses, and ordinary people underserved.
  2. As power concentrates, regulators weaken or rely on self-reporting, which lets environmental harm, unfair bailouts, and pervasive surveillance and opaque algorithms go unchecked.
  3. Counterforces include decentralizing technologies (like cryptography, open algorithms, and decentralized money) and renewed local, relational community organizing, both of which restore privacy, accountability, and distributed power.

Michael Jordan Hired The Best Sports Lawyer In The Country To Go After NASCAR

Huddle Up • 61 implied HN points • 10 Dec 25
🎾 Sports Antitrust
  1. Michael Jordan and two NASCAR teams are suing NASCAR for alleged monopolistic and anticompetitive practices, a case that could expose huge damages.
  2. The trial has exposed detailed financials — team investments and losses, NASCAR’s event losses, and internal emails. Those documents suggest NASCAR moved revenue and used rules like the charter system to limit teams' income.
  3. Jordan’s wealth, racing passion, and lack of dependence on NASCAR made him willing to lead a fight others avoided. Many smaller owners fear retaliation and the massive costs of a legal battle.

Ten favorites from 2025

The Works in Progress Newsletter • 42 implied HN points • 29 Dec 25
💼 Business Antitrust
  1. Political choices and regulations shape big technological and infrastructural outcomes. Decisions about ownership, siting, and industrial policy often determine whether projects like power plants, aircraft firms, or urban housing succeed.
  2. Small regulatory and technical changes can unlock large health and market gains. Faster approval pathways, scalable biological technologies, and better competition metrics can bring treatments to more people and help regulators act effectively.
  3. Geography and collective action drive economic power and vulnerability. Who controls resources or how land is owned and reorganized affects trade, development, and security, and tools like land readjustment or desalination can reduce holdouts and dependencies.

Japan Gets Options. China Gets the Wall.

Pekingnology • 49 implied HN points • 19 Dec 25
🕹 Technology Antitrust
  1. Japan forced Apple to open iOS to alternative app stores, alternative payments, and external purchase links, but Apple implements these changes with safety guardrails and says it won’t roll them out everywhere.
  2. China still faces Apple's strict App Store controls and high commissions, and rising antitrust suits and consumer complaints challenge that status quo while bespoke deals like Tencent’s 15% cut highlight uneven flexibility.
  3. Global enforcement and court rulings are shifting the center of gravity toward more choice without abandoning security, and China could push for simpler steps like allowing steering and regulated alternative payments rather than full distribution changes.

453: Anthropic, Microsoft Athena AI Chip, Nvidia Strikes Back, Antitrust Catch-22, China vs Wind Power, Nobel Immigrants, EV, and JS Bach

Liberty’s Highlights • 491 implied HN points • 11 Oct 23
🕹 Technology Antitrust
  1. Be skeptical of misinformation during times of tragedy and beware of those who use geopolitical excuses to dehumanize situations.
  2. Don't get attached to beliefs and welcome constructive criticism to identify and correct blind spots over time.
  3. Electric vehicles are more energy-efficient compared to internal combustion engine vehicles, and smart planning is key to meet the increasing electricity demand for transportation needs.

Netflix to Acquire Warner Bros. Discovery in $72 Billion Deal

philsiarri • 44 implied HN points • 08 Dec 25
💼 Business Antitrust
  1. Netflix is buying Warner Bros. Discovery’s film, TV, and streaming assets (including HBO and DC) in a roughly $72 billion deal, creating a massive global streaming powerhouse.
  2. The merger will face heavy regulatory and union scrutiny and could be challenged over antitrust concerns, potential job losses, and reduced bargaining power for creators.
  3. If approved, consumers might need fewer subscriptions but could face higher prices and less content diversity, and the deal signals a major shift toward streaming dominance in Hollywood.

2023 was a good year for anti-monopoly

The Counterbalance • 235 implied HN points • 08 Jan 24
💼 Business Antitrust
  1. 2023 saw a growing movement against monopolies gaining traction internationally
  2. Regulatory actions against tech giants like Google have increased, signaling a global anti-monopoly movement
  3. Tax systems and competition policies are being used to challenge and address the power of monopolies

Biden Statement On Nippon Steel Does Not Preclude Merger

Japan Economy Watch • 79 implied HN points • 01 Apr 24
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Antitrust
  1. President Biden's statement opposing Nippon Steel's purchase of US Steel does not completely prevent the merger, as negotiations are ongoing.
  2. The Steelworkers Union and Nippon Steel are in arduous negotiations to reach an agreement that satisfies the union's conditions before the merger can proceed.
  3. If the Nippon Steel merger with US Steel fails, there are challenges for the union as there isn't another American company that can buy USS, potentially impacting union-management relations and financial stability.

Inside Netflix’s $82.7 Billion Gamble: How Ted Sarandos Outmaneuvered Hollywood for Warner Bros. Discovery

Huddle Up • 26 implied HN points • 08 Dec 25
💼 Business Antitrust
  1. Netflix is buying Warner Bros. Discovery for $82.7 billion, winning a bidding war and gaining major franchises plus HBO Max’s roughly 130 million subscribers. This would make Netflix far larger than any streaming rival.
  2. Industry concerns are that the merger could shorten theatrical release windows, hurt movie theaters, and weaken terms for many actors, writers, and production staff, making it a clear antitrust flashpoint.
  3. Netflix plans to pursue a legal strategy to win DOJ approval and believes the deal’s economics still work even if regulators push back or try to block the merger.

Google, Amazon, and Booking: anti-monopoly gathers pace

The Counterbalance • 176 implied HN points • 10 Oct 23
💼 Business Antitrust
  1. Regulators are taking more action against tech giants like Google, Amazon, and Booking to prevent monopolistic behavior.
  2. The European Commission blocked Booking's acquisition of eTraveli, highlighting concerns about increasing dominance and its impact on competition.
  3. Antitrust cases are evolving to focus on broader systemic power issues within ecosystems, challenging traditional narrow views of harm in mergers.

Activision's death by 418 cuts

SuperJoost Playlist • 357 implied HN points • 04 May 23
💼 Business Antitrust
  1. Historically, innovative distribution channels in gaming have grown the market, not reduced it.
  2. The UK's antitrust watchdog's decision to block the Activision deal could lead to less access and higher prices for UK consumers.
  3. Regulators may lack a deep understanding of the gaming market, potentially hurting the industry and consumers.

Instacart's price discrimination isn't price discrimination

Economic Forces • 15 implied HN points • 16 Dec 25
💼 Business Antitrust
  1. Different price changes have different causes and effects: A/B tests, strategic randomization, dynamic supply-and-demand adjustments, and true price discrimination are not the same thing.
  2. The Instacart example looked like randomized A/B testing rather than pricing based on shoppers’ personal data, so treating every price change as evidence of algorithmic profiling confuses what might happen with what actually happened.
  3. Price discrimination isn’t automatically bad — it can raise output and sometimes help consumers, especially under competition — and banning price experiments won’t necessarily make consumers better off because low-price periods can outweigh high-price losses.

Must Read Right To Repair Stories from 2023

Fight to Repair • 78 implied HN points • 29 Dec 23
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Antitrust
  1. 2023 was a significant year in the fight for Right to Repair, with more states enacting laws to support repair rights.
  2. Key victories in 2023 included the enactment of right to repair laws in New York, Minnesota, California, Colorado, and Maine, covering a wide range of electronic and mechanical devices.
  3. The push for Right to Repair gained momentum in 2023, with hearings on Capitol Hill, legal actions against manufacturers like John Deere, and support from various government bodies like the EPA and FTC.

To tackle corruption, start with monopoly power

The Counterbalance • 117 implied HN points • 17 May 23
🌍 World Politics Antitrust
  1. Corruption is the abuse of power for selfish gain, whether in public or private sectors.
  2. Monopoly power can lead to corruption as dominant firms have more ability and incentive to engage in corrupt activities.
  3. Addressing monopoly power through antitrust regulations can be a powerful tool in tackling corruption and other economic problems.

In Recorded Conversation, A John Deere Dealer Talks Up Predatory Design

Fight to Repair • 78 implied HN points • 06 Sep 23
🕹 Technology Antitrust
  1. A John Deere dealership employee was caught on tape discussing the possibility of using software updates to block third-party competitors from working with John Deere equipment.
  2. The mention of using software updates to push out competition raises questions about anti-competitive behavior, which could potentially violate U.S. antitrust laws.
  3. The conversation highlights the importance of 'Right to Repair' legislation and the need for transparency from major agricultural equipment manufacturers in creating an open and competitive precision agriculture ecosystem.

Inside the Xbox wars

Updater, Shannon Liao's gaming newsletter • 78 implied HN points • 10 Jul 23
💼 Business Antitrust
  1. Microsoft is in court defending a $69 billion deal to buy Candy Crush developer Activision Blizzard.
  2. The deal is a significant tech acquisition and a notable antitrust case drawing attention from many.
  3. The outcome of this case will determine the future of gaming, including the exclusivity of games like Call of Duty on Xbox.

The Story of The First Software Patent

Ironic Sans • 460 implied HN points • 04 Jul 23
🕹 Technology Antitrust
  1. Software patents were initially a way for smaller companies to compete with larger ones.
  2. Debates persist about whether software should be patentable.
  3. Unbundling software and hardware by IBM in 1969 marked a significant shift in the software industry.

DOJ plows ahead: supporting farmers in Deere anti-trust lawsuit - Week in Repair

Fight to Repair • 59 implied HN points • 17 Feb 23
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Antitrust
  1. The US Department of Justice is supporting farmers in an anti-trust lawsuit against Deere, highlighting the importance of right to repair and fighting against repair restrictions imposed by companies.
  2. There is a growing movement among farmers to use older machines and explore open-source tractor software to ensure they can repair their equipment themselves, especially in rural areas where repair options are limited.
  3. Legislation is being introduced in multiple states, including Colorado, to force manufacturers to provide tools and resources necessary for farmers to make their own repairs, emphasizing the need for immediate action to address repair issues in farming equipment.

Smaller Slices of a Growing Pie

Platform Papers • 19 implied HN points • 28 Mar 24
💼 Business Antitrust
  1. Platform markets are becoming increasingly dominant in various sectors of the economy, presenting challenges and opportunities for both sellers and consumers.
  2. In platform markets, the entry of more sellers can have mixed effects - while it can lead to more transactions, it also means a smaller share of the 'pie' for each seller.
  3. High-quality businesses in platform markets tend to benefit more from platform expansion, as they can attract and retain customers, leading to better overall platform quality and increased competition for businesses to invest in quality.

Tesla Beats Back Anti-Trust Repair Lawsuit, But Deere's Is Headed To Court

Fight to Repair • 39 implied HN points • 01 Dec 23
💼 Business Antitrust
  1. Tesla won an antitrust case on repair restrictions, but Deere's lawsuit is moving forward. Tesla uses practices inflating repair costs.
  2. California is pushing for standardized EV diagnostic laws to make repairs more accessible and affordable.
  3. John Deere faces an antitrust lawsuit alleging constraints on repair services. The plaintiffs have succeeded in pursuing their claims against the company.

Is Canada catching the anti-monopoly bug?

The Counterbalance • 39 implied HN points • 15 Mar 23
🌍 World Politics Antitrust
  1. Canada has been absent from the global conversation on antitrust or competition policy.
  2. Canada is urged to reform its competition laws to prevent further market consolidation and address monopoly power.
  3. There is a growing movement within Canada to advocate for anti-monopoly policies and challenge the monopoly-friendly status quo.

#8: New Export Controls + Antitrust Action On AI + Compute Governance

Navigating AI Risks • 39 implied HN points • 04 Jul 23
🕹 Technology Antitrust
  1. Export controls on semiconductors are evolving due to the blurred distinction between 'weapon' and 'non-weapon' technologies, impacting US-China relations.
  2. Concerns about monopolistic practices in the AI industry are rising due to the consolidation of well-funded firms and competition strategies.
  3. Compute governance, focusing on data, computing power, and algorithms, is crucial for governing powerful AI systems and ensuring safety in international cooperation.