Companies burned by Big Tech plead for Congress to regulate Apple, Amazon, Facebook and Google

Apple, Amazon, Facebook, and Google took a public lashing at a congressional hearing at the University of Colorado in Boulder (CO), where some of their smaller rivals, including Sonos and Tile, pleaded with federal lawmakers to take swift action against Big Tech. Democratic and Republican lawmakers at times appeared stunned as they heard tales of technology giants wielding their massive footprints as weapons, allegedly copying smaller competitors’ features or tweaking their algorithms in ways that put new companies at a costly disadvantage. The testimony came as part of a wide-ranging antitrust probe into Silicon Valley’s biggest players that House lawmakers aim to wrap up — with recommendations for regulation — in the coming months.

The pleas for regulatory relief resonated with lawmakers, led by House Antitrust Subcommittee Chairman David Cicilline (D-RI). “It has become clear these firms have tremendous power as gatekeepers to shape and control commerce online,” he said to open the session. “I think it’s clear there’s abuse in the marketplace and a need for action,” said Rep Ken Buck (R-CO). A key leader in states’ efforts — Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser — sketched out a broad, ambitious agenda for antitrust enforcement in a private meeting with US lawmakers on Jan 17, where he called on them to invest more resources in oversight. “The idea we’re not going to regulate tech companies is so 1990s,” Weiser said.