FTC is laser focused on breaking down monopolies.

U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Chair Lina Khan isn’t mincing words in her crusade against big tech companies, training her ire on their even bigger AI goals using a mob metaphor this week. Speaking at TechCrunch’s StrictlyVC conference in Washington, D.C on Tuesday, Khan said the number of cases the FTC brings isn’t as important as the type. “One thing that’s been important for me is to make sure that we’re actually looking at where we see the biggest harm,” she explained. “Where do we see players that are systematically driving these illegal behaviors? Being able to go after the ‘mob boss’ is going to be more effective than going after the henchman at the bottom.” Khan has made waves since being appointed chair of the FTC by President Joe Biden in 2021, recently banning non-compete agreements for most employees and attempting to block multiple blockbuster mergers and acquisitions. Earlier this year, she put the brakes on what would have been the biggest fashion deal in history: Coach’s $8.5 billion acquisition of Michael Kors. Coach’s parent brand Tapestry was in talks to purchase Capri Holdings, which owns brands like Michael Kors, Versace and Jimmy Choo, before the FTC sued, arguing the acquisition would crush “direct head-to-head competition.” But big tech has always been Khan’s main focus when it comes to antitrust actions. Last year, the FTC sued Amazon in a landmark lawsuit accusing the retail giant of using illegal methods to maintain its dominance. Also that year, the FTC hoped to ax Microsoft’s roughly $70 billion purchase of the gaming giant Activision Blizzard, but was rejected by U.S. District Judge Jacqueline Scott Corley, who said the FTC didn’t prove the deal would hurt competition. More recently, Khan and the FTC have turned toward AI, launching multiple lawsuits against big tech companies, headlined by their recent investigation into Microsoft’s $10 billion investment and ongoing relationship with OpenAI, the $80 billion startup behind ChatGPT. Khan said in January she fears the big tech giant may be able to “exert undue influence or gain privileged access in ways that could undermine fair competition” in the AI arms race.