Much-anticipated congressional hearing featuring the CEOs of four
of America's largest tech firms kicks off.
A much-anticipated
congressional hearing featuring the CEOs of four of America's largest tech
firms kicked off on Wednesday afternoon in a confrontation that promises a
healthy dose of political theatre, while also offering a window into the
thinking of lawmakers trying to rein in Big
Tech.
Facebook Inc's Mark Zuckerberg, Amazon.com Inc's Jeff Bezos, Alphabet Inc-owned
Google's
Sundar Pichai and Apple Inc's Tim Cook--who together represent about $5
trillion of the U.S. economy--are appearing via videoconference before the
House Judiciary Committee's antitrust panel.
President Donald
Trump, who has clashed with several of the biggest tech companies, on Wednesday
threatened to take action against them.
"If Congress
doesn't bring fairness to Big Tech, which they should have done years ago, I
will do it myself with Executive Orders," he said on Twitter.
‘They have too
much power’
The president did
not spell out what the executive order would say but has been irritated by tech
companies, including Facebook and Twitter, which sometimes take action on his
postings on issues like treatments for the coronavirus. He has also clashed
with the Washington Post, which is owned by Bezos.
U.S.
Representative David Cicilline, a Democrat and chair of the antitrust
subcommittee, also pummeled the four companies.
"They have
too much power," he said in opening remarks.
"While these
dominant firms may still produce some new innovative products, their dominance
is killing the small businesses, manufacturing, and overall dynamism that are
the engines of the American economy."
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