Break up Big Tech? What does that even mean?

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[Commentary] Are the very large, very successful tech megaplatforms a problem that needs solving? Are they suppressing competition, innovation, free speech, democracy? I’m skeptical that case has been proven to the extent a strong public policy response is required ASAP. And I am equally skeptical of the solution set being offered by those who are quite comfortable that the anti-tech case has been proven. 

The forever dominance of these firms is hardly assured, and history argues strongly to the contrary. How would breaking up Big Tech actually work? In the zeal to fight the inequality wars, this point seems to have been neglected. AmazonGoogleFacebook remain tremendous economic assets that any nation would love to claim as their own. Certainly regulators should begin with a “do no harm” bias. 

[James Pethokoukis was the Washington columnist for Reuters Breakingviews, the opinion and commentary wing of Thomson Reuters.]


Break up Big Tech? What does that even mean?