Brian Fung | @[email protected]

Brian Fung | @[email protected] @b_fung

According to the opening statement, Cicilline worries that the pandemic will further entrench the dominance of these platforms: “As hard as it is to believe, it is possible that our economy will emerge from this crisis even more concentrated and consolidated than before." — PolitiTweet.org

Brian Fung | @[email protected] @b_fung

As we wait for the hearing to start, we’ve gotten a copy of subcommittee chair David Cicilline’s opening remarks. He’s expected to argue that Americans are “stuck with bad options” and to describe the tech companies as "emperors of the online economy.” — PolitiTweet.org

Brian Fung | @[email protected] @b_fung

Man, I wouldn’t have wolfed down my lunch so quickly — PolitiTweet.org

Brian Fung | @[email protected] @b_fung

Committee confirms to me that the antitrust hearing start time has been pushed back to 1 p.m. Eastern. — PolitiTweet.org

Brian Fung | @[email protected] @b_fung

RT @sarahfrier: The tech hearing is delayed about an hour to allow time to clean the room between hearings, @business is hearing — PolitiTweet.org

Brian Fung | @[email protected] @b_fung

I’ll play your antitrust drinking game, but I’ll only be drinking water ‘cause it’s hot AF out here by the TV cams — PolitiTweet.org

Brian Fung | @[email protected] @b_fung

If you’re looking for the livestream for today’s antitrust hearing, you’ll find it here, along with links to the CEOs’ prepared testimony: https://t.co/aogkgAVsxS — PolitiTweet.org

Brian Fung | @[email protected] @b_fung

I think it’s the other way around Seth — PolitiTweet.org

Brian Fung | @[email protected] @b_fung

A key point to remember in this hearing: Antitrust is fundamentally about competition. Whether a tech company has done good in the world is not the same as whether it has harmed competition. The CEOs will want to focus on the former; lawmakers will want answers on the latter. — PolitiTweet.org

Brian Fung | @[email protected] @b_fung

RT @loriamontgomery: NEWS => Beginning immediately, The Washington Post will uppercase the B in Black to identify the many groups that make… — PolitiTweet.org

Brian Fung | @[email protected] @b_fung

Meanwhile Trump said they’ll be watching today’s antitrust hearing very closely — "no question that what the big tech companies are doing is very bad,” without specifying what conduct he’s referring to. — PolitiTweet.org

Brian Fung | @[email protected] @b_fung

Mnuchin confirmed to reporters at the WH this morning that TikTok is under CFIUS review, and that “we’ll be making a recommendation to the president. We have lots of alternatives." — PolitiTweet.org

Brian Fung | @[email protected] @b_fung

Overheard on Slack: "yeah I guess if you can summarize antitrust law in 3 grafs lol" — PolitiTweet.org

Brian Fung | @[email protected] @b_fung

Relatedly, Reuters reports TikTok expects to make $1 billion in revenues in 2020 and as much as $6 billion next year — and that private investors have made a takeover bid valuing the company at $50 billion: https://t.co/ITFgOo6kpC — PolitiTweet.org

Brian Fung | @[email protected] @b_fung

TikTok’s CEO argues that “without TikTok, American advertisers would again be left with few choices. Competition would dry up and so too will an outlet for America's creative energy.” https://t.co/DWgJp12Sdn — PolitiTweet.org

Brian Fung | @[email protected] @b_fung

NEW: TikTok is going after Facebook this morning ahead of that big House antitrust hearing — accusing it of “maligning attacks … disguised as patriotism” designed to stoke China fears and push TikTok out of the US: https://t.co/DWgJp12Sdn — PolitiTweet.org

Brian Fung | @[email protected] @b_fung

Zuckerberg’s testimony, which I referenced earlier based on a copy we obtained, is public now, too. Here’s the link: https://t.co/X99HI8uxzh — PolitiTweet.org

Brian Fung | @[email protected] @b_fung

@geoffmanne So he does! I stand corrected. — PolitiTweet.org

Brian Fung | @[email protected] @b_fung

Cook will argue that the Apple app store was itself a revolutionary, competitive offering at a time when software was costly to distribute. Now, he says, the app store’s rules and policies “ensure a high-quality, reliable and secure user experience." — PolitiTweet.org

Brian Fung | @[email protected] @b_fung

Apple’s testimony is now up on the committee site. Tim Cook appears to be the only CEO of the four to mention Rep. John Lewis, saying hosting him at Apple was “was one of the great honors of my life” https://t.co/SyDgLm7GpL — PolitiTweet.org

Brian Fung | @[email protected] @b_fung

@MattSepara It’s one of my favorite two-parters. — PolitiTweet.org

Brian Fung | @[email protected] @b_fung

“My products benefit the entire world!” Henry Starling says to Janeway. — PolitiTweet.org

Brian Fung | @[email protected] @b_fung

Lol just rewatched the episode of Voyager where a rich white tech CEO from 1996 tries to fly a stolen time-ship into the 29th century, putting all of space-time at risk but justifying it because of the cool products he’ll build with the IP he brings back. Just total coincidence — PolitiTweet.org

Brian Fung | @[email protected] @b_fung

Pichai will also claim Google faces significant competition in search because you can “search for information” outside of a search engine by talking to Amazon Alexa, reading the news on Twitter or “ask[ing] friends for information on WhatsApp.” Seems like a reach, but okay. — PolitiTweet.org

Brian Fung | @[email protected] @b_fung

Pichai cites Google’s billions in R&D spending, which he describes as “investments in America’s future,” and all the small businesses Google has helped. “Because of our tools, businesses on Main Street can compete in a way that wasn’t possible 20 years ago,” he will argue. — PolitiTweet.org

Brian Fung | @[email protected] @b_fung

Google CEO Sundar Pichai is expected to start his testimony by describing his experience as an immigrant, explaining that the economic opportunity he’s benefited from has shaped his work at Google. His remarks are on the committee website, here: https://t.co/KuSHKjsZBx — PolitiTweet.org

Brian Fung | @[email protected] @b_fung

RT @davidshepardson: All the testimony up except @Apple @tim_cook https://t.co/FyDnSqQr4y — PolitiTweet.org

Brian Fung | @[email protected] @b_fung

A key theme in Bezos’s testimony is scale — how many thousands of jobs Amazon's created; how much wealth it’s made for shareholders; how many businesses rely on it. It’ll be interesting whether lawmakers take that as he intends, or if they view it as evidence of too much power. — PolitiTweet.org

Brian Fung | @[email protected] @b_fung

Bezos will say he believes "Amazon should be scrutinized. We should scrutinize all large institutions, whether they’re companies, government agencies, or non-profits. Our responsibility is to make sure we pass such scrutiny with flying colors." — PolitiTweet.org

Brian Fung | @[email protected] @b_fung

Amazon has posted Jeff Bezos’s prepared congressional testimony. He’s expected to open with a personal touch, describing the background of his mother and father before saying they took a big risk by investing their life savings in their son’s idea. https://t.co/eXvw4nzleX — PolitiTweet.org