US REGULATORS

PROBING 5 TECH

COMPANIES’

ACQUISITIONS

TO 2010

Federal regulators are ramping up their
investigation of the market dominance of
giant tech companies, demanding detailed
information on five companies’ acquisitions of
smaller firms back to 2010.

The Federal Trade Commission announced the
move this week, issuing orders to Facebook,
Amazon, Apple, Microsoft and Google’s parent
Alphabet Inc. Hundreds of takeovers of smaller
companies are involved.

FTC Chairman Joseph Simons said that as a result
of the review, the government may require tech
giants to unwind earlier acquisitions and divest
their assets if it found violations of antitrust law.

“All of our options are on the table,” Simons said
in a conference call with reporters. “If there are
some transactions that are problematic, then
we have that opportunity and that ability to go
back and challenge” them.