UK Government's Choice of Ex-Amazon Exec for Antitrust Regulator Sparks Concern
Ex-Amazon exec's appointment to UK's CMA raises Big Tech oversight concerns.
Matilda
UK Government's Choice of Ex-Amazon Exec for Antitrust Regulator Sparks Concern
The UK government's recent decision to appoint Doug Gurr, a former Amazon executive, as the interim chair of the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has ignited a firestorm of controversy. A coalition of over two dozen organizations and individuals, including prominent tech companies like Yelp, DuckDuckGo, and Mozilla, has penned an open letter expressing deep concern over this appointment. Their primary worry? That the CMA, the UK's antitrust watchdog, will no longer be able to effectively police Big Tech's potentially anti-competitive practices if its leadership has such close ties to one of the industry's giants. This move comes at a crucial juncture for the tech landscape. The CMA, alongside its European Union counterparts, has played a pivotal role in holding Big Tech accountable, investigating a wide range of alleged transgressions, blocking mergers, and demanding divestments. However, the UK government is simultaneously pursuing a strategy of deregulatio…
