Federal Trade Commission Chair Andrew Ferguson clarified during a CNBC interview that the FTC will not lighten up on investigating Big Tech monopolies under President Donald Trump.
Ferguson addressed investigations into Microsoft, Amazon and Meta during a wide-ranging interview on the Thursday edition of Squawk Box. CNBC Correspondent Eamon Javers asked Ferguson to respond to a Bloomberg report on an FTC antitrust investigation into Microsoft. Ferguson did not delve into the probe’s details but reiterated his pledge to hold Big Tech accountable.
“We're a law enforcement agency. So, you know, I'm not allowed to talk about stuff going on within the agency,” Ferguson cautioned. “But I can say President Trump appointed me to protect Americans in the marketplace—and that includes from Big Tech. And I've said since day one, Big Tech is one of our main priorities, and that remains true.”
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Ferguson’s comments followed Wednesday's reporting by Bloomberg that the FTC will continue a Biden-era investigation into Microsoft, requesting information dating back to 2016. The federal agency will also take a good look at Microsoft’s relationship with ChatGPT creator OpenAI. Ferguson will scrutinize “Microsoft’s decision to slash funding on its own artificial intelligence projects after striking a deal with OpenAI, which could be perceived as hurting competition in the burgeoning AI market,” reported Bloomberg.
While Ferguson did not discuss details of the Microsoft investigation on CNBC, he described Big Tech as “one of the main priorities of the Trump-Vance FTC” earlier in the interview. He added, “It's one of the reasons the president appointed me to this position--I've said since day one: every resource necessary to litigate these cases is available, will be made available; that remains true.”
Javers also inquired about other investigations into Big Tech companies. When asked if the FTC would ease up on Amazon, Ferguson responded, “Unequivocally, no.” Ferguson also denied that the FTC would go easy on Meta.
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