WASHINGTON : New draft guidelines released by U.S. antitrust enforcers on Wednesday lay the groundwork for tougher scrutiny of planned mergers by Big Tech companies like Amazon.com and Alphabet's Google.
The 51 pages of guidelines by the Justice Department and Federal Trade Commission described, without naming them, deals like Amazon.com's purchases of video doorbell Ring in 2018, and said the antitrust agencies should scrutinize them. The draft also specifies that a merger should not eliminate a potential entrant in a concentrated market or create a situation in which a firm buys a company that provides inputs for the acquirer's competitors.
"Where a merger between employers may substantially lessen competition for workers, that reduction in labor market competition may lower wages or slow wage growth, worsen benefits or working conditions," the guidelines say.