Biden launches action on "Big Tech, Big Pharma, and Big Ag" – can it be real? (mattstoller.substack.com)

Article summary

US President Joe Biden has signed an executive order aimed at promoting fair competition in the US economy, targeting industries such as Big Tech, Big Pharma, and Big Ag. The order has 72 specific items and encourages government agencies to use their existing authority to address corporate concentration. The move has been praised by some Democrats and rural groups, but criticized by big business and libertarian commentators. The order's effectiveness will depend on its implementation and the willingness of government agencies to follow through on its directives.

Main themes

• Corporate Power
• Antitrust Regulation
• Big Tech
• Big Pharma
• Big Ag
• Government Accountability
• Data Privacy
• Economic Competition

What commenters say

• Breaking up big corporations is necessary to promote competition and reduce their harmful practices.
• The concentration of wealth and power in big corporations is a major obstacle to meaningful reform.
• Biden's executive order is a positive step towards addressing corporate power, but its impact will depend on its implementation.
• The government should focus on making officials accountable and not for sale to corporate interests rather than just breaking up big companies.
• Big corporations often lobby against solutions to social problems and breaking them up could help to address these issues.
• The sharing of personal data by tech companies is a major concern and should be regulated by law.
• Some people believe that individuals should be free to trade their personal data for free services if they choose to do so.
• The collection of data by government agencies is a more significant threat to privacy than the sharing of data by tech companies.