In this new episode, Mark R. Meador (U.S Federal Trade Commission) gave a keynote speech during the Tech Antitrust Conference that occurred in Palo Alto on the 15th of January 2026. Follow us on Linkedin to receive updates on our next podcast episodes. Key takeaways of Mark Meador speech Innovation and Antitrust: Bridging the Silicon Valley–Washington Divide - Both DC and Silicon Valley operate within their own “bubbles,” which creates mutual misunderstanding and leads each side to see the other as either obstructionist or naïve. - The debate is often reduced to a false binary of regulation versus innovation, instead of evaluating each case on its merits. - Not all regulation is harmful and not all innovation is beneficial, so the focus should be on distinguishing wise innovations from harmful ones. - Technology’s promise has not always translated into societal benefit, as the internet democratized knowledge but much of its use has become passive consumption (e.g., short-form video). - AI represents a pivotal inflection point, with the potential to drive breakthroughs in medicine, science, and defense or to deepen social harm and mistrust if left unchecked. - Antitrust enforcement is crucial because competitive markets drive better innovation and prevent the concentration of power that undermines consumer welfare. - Acqui-hire practices pose a real competitive threat, as large firms may acquire startups primarily to commandeer talent and reduce competition, creating “buy and kill” dynamics. - Antitrust law is not outdated—its principles remain applicable, but the challenge is applying them effectively in real-time with modern market data and economic insights. - Enforcement must follow “regular order,” with predictable, fair, and transparent processes to avoid politicized or arbitrary enforcement. - The shared mission is serving the American public, and both regulators and tech companies must build trust and show how their actions benefit ordinary people, not just elites. DOCUMENTATION Daniel Gilman, The US District Court for the District of Columbia rejects monopolization claims in the personal social networking sector (Meta), 2 December 2025, e-Competitions December 2025, Art. N° 130444 Ethan Wham, The US DoJ begins the remedies phase in the monopolization case regarding a tech firm’s digital advertising services (Google Ad Tech), 19 September 2025 Ben Rudofsky, Raiber Y. Muhiddin, Meredith Stonitsch, The US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit affirms prohibitory and affirmative remedies to address monopolisation by an app store in a private enforcement action (Epic Games / Google), 31 July 2025 Daniel Gilman, The US FTC pursues a monopolization case over historic acquisitions in the social networking market (Meta), 14 April 2025 Daniel Gilman, Jonathan Barnett, Walid Chaiehloudj, Kai-Uwe Kühn, Miroslava Marinova, Geoffrey Manne, Bilal Sayyed, Ioannis Stefatos, Gregory Werden, Courtney Radsch, Karina Montoya, The Google Search decision: The merits, fate, and potential impact of the U.S. District Court’s decision on the question of liability, January 2025 Jody Boudreault, Hugh Hollman, The US District Court for the District of Columbia rules in favor of a Big Tech, rejecting FTC claims of social media monopoly through acquisitions (Meta), 18th November 2025, e-Competitions November 2025, Art. N° 130122 Daniel Gilman, Jonathan Barnett, Walid Chaiehloudj, Kai-Uwe Kühn, Miroslava Marinova, Geoffrey Manne, Bilal Sayyed, Ioannis Stefatos, Gregory Werden, Courtney Radsch, Karina Montoya, The Google Search decision: The merits, fate, and potential impact of the U.S. District Court’s decision on the question of liability, January 2025 Bradley Weber, Taylor Levesque, Cloud and Competition Policy: Part VIII - Cloud service-AI partnerships: The FTC’s Section 6(b) Report and its antitrust implications in the Trump 2.0 administration, August 2025 Justin P. Murphy, Trump 2.0 : What to expect in antitrust enforcement, 4 February 2025
