Big Tech's Power Comes Under Fire at Congressional Hearing
29 Juli 2020 - 8:19PM
Dow Jones News
By Ryan Tracy
WASHINGTON -- Lawmakers raised concerns about the market
dominance of giant U.S. technology companies at the outset of a
hearing with four top tech CEOs, though Democrats appeared more
inclined than Republicans to support government action to curb
their power.
Amazon.com Inc.'s Jeff Bezos, Apple Inc.'s Tim Cook, Facebook
Inc.'s Mark Zuckerberg and Sundar Pichai, CEO of Google parent
Alphabet Inc. are testifying before the House Antitrust
Subcommittee Wednesday. The hearing comes with the companies under
investigation by antitrust authorities in the U.S. and elsewhere
while also experiencing sky-high valuations amid the coronavirus
pandemic.
(Read analysis of the hearings on our live-coverage page).
"Simply put: They have too much power," Rep. David Cicilline
(D., R.I.), the subcommittee chairman, said of the companies in a
statement opening the hearing. "Their ability to dictate terms,
call the shots, upend entire sectors, and inspire fear represent
the powers of a private government. Our founders would not bow
before a king. Nor should we bow before the emperors of the online
economy."
"I share the concern that market dominance in the digital space
is ripe for abuse, particularly when it comes to free speech," said
Rep. James Sensenbrenner (R., Wisc.), the committee's top
Republican, alluding to long-held concerns among conservatives that
social media companies treat them differently from liberals.
He said Congress needs more information about allegations that
the companies abuse their market power, and suggested Republicans
would be more skeptical of a crackdown by antitrust authorities:
"Being big is not inherently bad. Quite the opposite. In America
you should be rewarded for success."
President Trump also weighed in on the topic Wednesday, tweeting
"If Congress doesn't bring fairness to Big Tech, which they should
have done years ago, I will do it myself with Executive
Orders."
The CEOs, in written statements before the hearing, said they
face stiff competition that motivates them to keep improving their
widely used products.
Write to Ryan Tracy at ryan.tracy@wsj.com
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
July 29, 2020 14:04 ET (18:04 GMT)
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