#310 What Do Enforcers Say? A Global Perspective on Antitrust Issues Involving Cloud Computing & Infrastructure
Release Date: 01/27/2025
#343 FTC v. DOJ: Who Wore It Better?
Our Curious Amalgam
Why does the U.S. have two antitrust enforcement agencies—and how do they really differ in practice? In this episode, Puja Patel and Barry Nigro are joined by Debbie Majoras, former FTC Chair and former Deputy Assistant Attorney General at the DOJ Antitrust Division, to explore the procedural, cultural, and strategic distinctions between the FTC and DOJ. From procedural standards to enforcement style, merger review processes, and even remedy structures, Debbie reflects on her leadership experience at both agencies and offers practical insights for practitioners navigating the divide. Tune in...
info_outline
#342 Can Antitrust Be More Innovation-Centric? An Economic Conversation With Professor Richard Gilbert
Our Curious Amalgam
Innovation is central to long-term economic welfare and deserves greater emphasis in antitrust policy. But can U.S. antitrust law be reshaped to be more innovation-centric? Professor Richard Gilbert joins hosts Anora Wang and Panos Dimitrellos to examine the relationship between competition and innovation, how agencies and courts have recently treated innovation, and practical tools for assessing innovation effects in mergers and conduct cases. Listen to this episode to learn more about navigating the shift toward an innovation-centric antitrust regime, the empirical methods that can reveal...
info_outline
#341 How Should Killer Acquisitions Be Assessed? A Discussion With Professor Nicolas Petit
Our Curious Amalgam
Merger control regulators in the EU and around the world continue to focus on killer acquisitions. But is this concern justified in the digital sector? Professor Nicolas Petit, a leading competition law academic, joins Matthew Hall and Blair Matthews to discuss the Antitrust Law Journal article on the subject he co-authored and killer acquisitions generally. Listen to this episode to learn more about the methodology behind and findings in the paper and why the concerns on this issue may not be justified. With special guest: Professor Nicolas Petit, Professor, European University Institute;...
info_outline
#340 How Do You Win (and Not Lose) a Merger Trial?
Our Curious Amalgam
Merger litigation is fast, high-stakes, and often unpredictable. So what does it take to win—or avoid losing—when the government challenges a deal? In this episode, Puja Patel and James Hunsberger are joined by Kieran Gostin, a partner at Wilkinson Stekloff and a seasoned merger trial lawyer who helped Microsoft defeat the FTC in its challenge to the Activision acquisition. From trial preparation strategy to expert witness credibility, internal documents versus economic modeling, and real-world lessons from Microsoft/Activision, the conversation covers both foundational insights and...
info_outline
#339 How Do Presidents Shape Antitrust? The Oval Office and the Enforcement Pendulum
Our Curious Amalgam
Antitrust enforcement can change dramatically between Presidential administrations. What makes the political winds flip between more and less enforcement? In this episode, former Deputy Assistant Attorney General Michael Kades joins hosts Anant Raut and Anna Olson to step back and draw insightful themes from the history of antitrust enforcement across Presidential administrations. With special guest: Michael Kades, Partner, Nachawati Law Group Hosted by: Anant Raut and Anna Olson
info_outline
#338 How Clean Are Your Claims? Understanding the New Anti-Greenwashing Amendments to Canada’s Competition Act
Our Curious Amalgam
Among the recent amendments to Canada's Competition Act are new provisions targeting so-called “greenwashing,” i.e., misleading claims in advertising regarding the environmental benefits of a product. In a related development, the Competition Bureau has issued guidelines concerning its enforcement approach to environmental claims under the new law. What will be the impact of the changes on companies and consumers? In this episode, Alicia Downey and Anora Wang talk to Canadian consumer protection lawyer Candice Kloes about the amendments, the guidelines, and the increased risks and...
info_outline
#337 What Are the Risks of a Minority Shareholding? The European Commission’s Decision in Delivery Hero/Glovo
Our Curious Amalgam
In June 2025, the European Commission announced a decision under which it fined two competing online food delivery companies a combined total of €329 million for cartel behaviour that took place while one company held a minority stake in the other company. The infringing behaviour included, among other things, exchanging competitively sensitive information “beyond what was needed for a corporate investor to protect a financial investment decision.” Does the Delivery Hero/Glovo decision suggest that minority shareholdings may be subject to stricter scrutiny going forward? Hosts Matthew...
info_outline
#336 What Are the Risks of Serial Acquisitions? Empirical Evidence From the Dialysis Industry
Our Curious Amalgam
There is a growing interest in understanding the economics of serial acquisitions, particularly in the healthcare industries and markets, and whether such corporate strategies lead to changes in prices and quality causing antitrust concerns. What has been found in existing economic studies? Paul Eliason, Assistant Professor of Economics at Brigham Young University and co-author of a leading study on serial acquisitions focusing on the dialysis industry, discusses his observations and insights with Anora Wang and Derek Jackson. Listen to this episode to learn about the knowns and unknowns from...
info_outline
#335 Are You Ready To Respond? Developments in Competition Law Dawn Raids
Our Curious Amalgam
The "dawn raid" is one of the rare moments of high drama in the work of many competition lawyers. How can you be prepared when that early-morning phone call or text from a client comes? Ashley Latham, an antitrust and government investigations litigator with Linklaters LLP, joins Matthew Hall and Matt Reynolds for a discussion of current "dawn raid" trends in the U.S. and the European Union. Tune in to learn more about what questions to ask, what issues to raise, and what you can do to help clients prepare for when authorities come knocking. With special guest: Ashley Latham, Managing...
info_outline
#334 What’s the Word on Wage-Fixing? Cracking Down on Collusion Among Employers
Our Curious Amalgam
The U.S. Department of Justice has made it clear that some agreements among competing employers regarding workers’ salaries or other terms of compensation--so-called “wage-fixing agreements”--may be subject to criminal prosecution. What kind of conduct falls within the scope of wage-fixing? In this episode, hosts Alicia Downey and Blair Matthews talk to Crowell & Moring partner and former senior DOJ prosecutor Ken Dintzer about the latest developments on the wage-fixing front, including the first criminal conviction for wage-fixing won at trial. Listen and learn what business...
info_outlineRegulators around the world have raised antitrust concerns over concentrated control of key inputs into AI development and deployment, with access to cloud computing as one area of focus. What are the key concerns and proposed actions? A panel of experts from Argentina, Brazil, and the U.S. speak with Koren Wong-Ervin and Anora Wang on thoughts on the theories of harm, as well as possible efficiencies and benefits to various business arrangements and other conduct. Listen to this episode to hear from Gustavo Augusto Freitas de Lima (Commissioner of Brazil’s CADE), Alexis Pirchio (President of Argentina’s CNDC), Helder Agostinho (Deputy Assistant Director of the U.S. FTC’s Technology Enforcement Division), and Thomas DeMatteo (Chief Counsel on the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee to Senator Mike Lee).
With special guests:
- Gustavo Augusto Freitas de Lima, Commissioner, CADE
- Alexis Pirchio, President, CNDC
- Helder Agostinho, Deputy Assistant Director of Technology Enforcement Division, FTC
- Thomas DeMatteo, Chief Counsel on the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee to Senator Mike Lee
Related Links:
Full Panel Discussion (Dec. 8, 2024)
Hosted by:
Anora Wang, Arnold & Porter Kaye Scholer LLP and Koren Wong-Ervin, Jones Day