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Tech giants get glimpse of watchdog’s M&A bazooka

27 Feb 2019

The U.S. FTC is creating a body to police anticompetitive behavior in Silicon Valley, and isn’t ruling out the possibility of breakups. While unwinding mergers would be extraordinary, the mere threat would be a useful weapon as the agency investigates Facebook’s privacy breaches.

Review: Old news guard beats back the grim reaper

22 Feb 2019

Google and Facebook have nearly destroyed the media business – venerable institutions and digital upstarts alike. In “Merchants of Truth,” Jill Abramson effectively draws upon BuzzFeed, Vice, the Washington Post and the New York Times to show that subscribers are key to survival.

Three digital ad giants are no better than two

20 Feb 2019

Google and Facebook’s combined share of U.S. online advertising is poised to fall for the first time this year. The reason: Amazon is taking a bite out of their slice. Even a muscular challenger does little to reduce the case for tighter regulation.

The Exchange: How Facebook takes away our humanity

5 Feb 2019

That’s the way early investor Roger McNamee describes what the social network – and Google – is doing without proper oversight. In discussing his book, “Zucked,” he explains why just changing Facebook management won’t solve its problems and why he remains hopeful of a solution.

Big Tech may face another front in D.C. battle

16 Jan 2019

William Barr, set to become U.S. attorney general, wonders how Silicon Valley “behemoths” like Amazon got so big. That hasn’t been a DOJ focus. Facebook’s clout was one reason for AT&T’s purchase of Time Warner, on whose board Barr sat. It could make him a new antitrust threat.

Gannett’s dilemma is picking lesser of two evils

14 Jan 2019

A rival publisher wants to buy the USA Today owner for $1.6 bln. Gannett has repeatedly sliced costs and staff, to the detriment of news. MNG’s script is more of the same – and cuts are likely to be deep to justify a 23 pct premium. The public interest probably loses either way.

Trump’s crisis powers are a Pandora’s box

9 Jan 2019

The U.S. president may yet try to bypass Congress to build a border wall by declaring a national emergency. In theory, similar authority could enable him to close CNN or block Facebook. Such scenarios would be tested in court. But there’s leeway, and only lawmakers can reduce it.

A graying Facebook will require a different leader

4 Jan 2019

Mark Zuckerberg’s social network is losing the trust of users and regulators because of fake news and privacy worries just as its valuation looks over the hill. Surmounting the crisis will involve a new model. The founder’s priority is finding someone up to the task.

Superapps will starve the rest in Southeast Asia

2 Jan 2019

Cash is being lavished on giants, Grab and Go-Jek, which dabble in everything from ride-hailing to groceries. It’s a Chinese approach to snaring online consumers. As investors follow SoftBank and Tencent’s seal, the gap will widen between these “do it all” outfits and the rest.

Crypto could bring Facebook some stability

21 Dec 2018

The social network may issue a dollar-pegged digital currency to let its 1.5 bln WhatsApp users transfer money. So-called stablecoins embody much of bitcoin’s original promise and have grown popular as other crypto assets tanked. Beleaguered Facebook would welcome a similar effect.

Facebook headed for Big Tobacco-style backlash

20 Dec 2018

A number of U.S. states may follow the District of Columbia in suing the $380 bln social network for misusing customer data. It’d be reminiscent of the 1990s fight against cigarette makers. A similar outcome would leave Facebook paying huge fines and bound by tighter rules.

Facebook might be the JPMorgan of the tech world

17 Dec 2018

Mark Zuckerberg’s social network faces more Washington pain in 2019. But tougher internet regulation could increase the burden on rivals, as Dodd-Frank financial rules did to small lenders. Facebook may emerge stronger, like Jamie Dimon’s bank after its time in the hot seat.

Silicon Valley mud fight leaves all splattered

4 Dec 2018

Apple boss Tim Cook is taking aim at social networks' privacy issues. Meanwhile Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg has been keen to point out the iPhone’s dominance. Where other industries stick together in the face of regulatory challenges, tech is making politicians' work easier.

Holding: Big tech cruising for antitrust bruising

26 Nov 2018

Facebook’s Russian-meddling fumbles and Amazon’s second-headquarters hubris are Exhibits A and B for legal reform. Derided as “hipster antitrust,” the idea that bigness alone can breed evil is true to competition law’s original aim. It’s time trustbusters became disruptors, too.

Dolce & Gabbana’s Chinese outfit proves reversible

26 Nov 2018

Like many others, the Italian fashion house has cashed in on the mainland’s ambitious urbanites. A disastrously insensitive ad campaign, though, has led to social-media outrage and widespread boycotts. It’s a prime example of how fast the same savvy shoppers can unravel a brand.

Hadas: Dumb ideas undermine Brexit and Facebook

21 Nov 2018

Freedom is simple. History is on our side. Fantasy is safe. These simplistic quarter-truths helped pitch Britain into a political crisis, and encouraged the social network to ignore a slew of warning signs. Sadly, the damage done by weak thinking is hard to undo.

Facebook’s higher calling is now a liability

19 Nov 2018

The social network is getting grief from U.S. lawmakers for hiring Washington consultants to fight critics. Many companies do that, including older tech firms. Facebook, though, has styled itself as more than just a company. Mark Zuckerberg is now tripping up on that high bar.

Mark Zuckerberg pushes wrong kind of independence

15 Nov 2018

Facebook’s CEO is setting up an external committee to police fake news and hateful content after more revelations about how he and others dealt with Russian meddling. But outsourcing decisions won’t fix Facebook’s culture. Removing Zuckerberg as chair would be a good first step.