The Hopkins Forum Considers Tech Titans or Tech Tyrants: Should the U.S. Government Break Up Big Tech?
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Has Big Tech become too powerful? From social media platforms and e-commerce giants to cloud computing and AI, tech companies like Amazon, Apple, Alphabet, Meta, and Microsoft wield unprecedented influence over our economy, democracy, and daily lives. The government is taking notice, with the Department of Justice and FTC pursuing landmark antitrust actions and bipartisan support building for breaking up tech giants. Advocates argue these firms are monopolies that stifle competition and innovation, harm consumers through data exploitation, abuse their market dominance, and wield outsized influence over public discourse. Structural separation, such as forcing Google to divest YouTube or Amazon to spin off AWS, would restore fairness. Others argue that breaking them up would undermine innovation and downgrade the user experience, which benefits from integrated ecosystems. It would serve as a blunt instrument when smarter regulation or self-governance could suffice. These measures could lead to unintended consequences for national security, critical infrastructure, and the broader economy.
As these tech companies grow their influence while under public scrutiny, we debate the question: Should the U.S. Government Break Up Big Tech?
Debater Panel:
| Arguing Yes: | Arguing No: | ||
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| Bharat Ramamurti, Founder, The Bully Pulpit Former Deputy Director, National Economic Council |
Matt Stoller, Director of Research, American Economic Liberties Project |
Geoffrey A. Manne, President and Founder, International Center for Law & Economics |
Jennifer Huddleston, Senior Fellow in Tech Policy, Cato Institute |
The Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF) Agora Institute at Johns Hopkins University is an academic and public forum dedicated to strengthening global democracy through research, teaching, and practice. Our events create space for open dialogue and exchange among people with diverse perspectives. By convening scholars, practitioners, and the public, we seek to foster understanding, encourage inquiry, and support the conditions in which democracy can thrive.
