“If you’re going to let the free market work, you’d better protect the free market.”, Robert Pitofsky, former FTC chairman.
for image credits see below

“If you’re going to let the free market work, you’d better protect the free market.”, Robert Pitofsky, former FTC chairman.

Marlon Domingus Marlon Domingus

Marlon Domingus

发布日期: 2025年2月16日
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I admired Lina Khan from the first month she was appointed Chair of the FTC. At 32 years old, she was the youngest chairperson in the history of the FTC. Her term as an FTC commissioner (Democrat) expired on September 26, 2024. With Khan's appointment the FTC had a 3–2 Democrat majority.

As of February 2025, Andrew N. Ferguson is the current chair of the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). He was officially designated as Chairman by President Trump on January 20, 2025. Ferguson’s appointment marks a significant shift in the FTC’s leadership and priorities compared to his predecessor, Lina Khan.

On January 31 2025, Khan published her last Statements:

My expectation is that under Ferguson, the FTC will return to the status of the “little old lady of Pennsylvania Avenue”, a label the FTC received from critics in the 1970s for underperforming.

Under Lina Khan, the FTC reshaped its approach to regulating the tech industry, creating significant ripple effects:

  1. Antitrust Enforcement: The FTC under Khan pursued high-profile lawsuits against companies like Amazon, Meta, and Microsoft, challenging mergers and alleged monopolistic practices. These cases aimed to redefine antitrust law for the digital economy but faced mixed outcomes, with courts rejecting key cases like Meta’s acquisition of Within and Microsoft’s Activision Blizzard deal.
  2. Impact on Mergers and Innovation: Khan’s actions increased scrutiny of tech mergers, leading companies to reconsider deals upfront due to perceived legal risks. However, critics argued that this stifled innovation and deterred investment in startups.
  3. Consumer Data and Privacy: The FTC targeted data practices in the advertising industry and Big Tech’s handling of consumer privacy. It issued warnings about AI-related risks and sought to regulate data collection more strictly, signalling a shift toward consumer protection in emerging technologies

From an EU perspective I celebrate her FTC agenda for addressing so many relevant topics. One of the first impactful ones was the work on Dark Patterns: Bringing Dark Patterns to Light.

From a US perspective, focus is on the legal setbacks the FTC faced, for instance the non-compete rule that had been struck down; on August 20, 2024, a federal court invalidated the FTC’s rule banning non-compete agreements nationwide. The court ruled that the FTC exceeded its statutory authority and that the rule was arbitrary and capricious.

But there were exceptions to this view.


Under Lina Khan’s leadership, the FTC significantly increased collaboration with the EU on data privacy regulation. Three examples:

  1. Joint Technology Competition Policy Dialogue (TCPD): The FTC, along with the DOJ, established the TCPD with the European Commission to discuss and develop common approaches to competition in the digital economy. This dialogue focused on evolving technologies like AI and cloud computing, as well as enforcement strategies for tech platforms.
  2. Assistance with EU regulations: The FTC sent agency officials to Brussels to help implement the EU’s Digital Services Act (DSA) and Digital Markets Act (DMA). This move was controversial, with critics arguing it undermined U.S. economic interests and sovereignty.
  3. Data Privacy Framework: The FTC worked with the EU on the EU-U.S. Data Privacy Framework, which replaced the Privacy Shield program. This framework allows companies to transfer personal data between the EU and U.S. in compliance with EU law.

It is easy to do a job under ideal circumstances, yet I admire people stepping up and committing to do the good thing even under harsh circumstances.

See some of her workload (before it gets deleted):

Speeches, Articles, and Statements


See also Khan's 'exit interview' with the WSJ:

See also Khan's talk at Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research (SIEPR): Is Antitrust Policy Good for Innovation? A Conversation w Lina Khan, Chair, Federal Trade Commission.


Image credits:

Credit: https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2018/07/lina-khan-antitrust/561743/

Credit: https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2024/05/14/lina-khan-antitrust-ftc/

Credit: https://www.ftc.gov/about-ftc/commissioners-staff/lina-m-khan

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