Acquisitions

FTC Approves Amazon-Whole Foods Merger Despite Monopolization Concerns

| Importance: 8/10

The Federal Trade Commission approved Amazon’s $13.7 billion acquisition of Whole Foods Market on August 23, 2017, without an in-depth investigation. This decision demonstrated regulatory challenges in addressing 21st-century tech monopolies, as the FTC did not find substantial anticompetitive …

Amazon.com Inc. Jeff Bezos Whole Foods Market Inc. Federal Trade Commission Lina Khan +1 more regulatory-capture tech-industry antitrust amazon ftc +1 more
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Facebook Acquires Instagram for $1 Billion to "Neutralize Potential Competitor"

| Importance: 8/10

Facebook acquired Instagram for $1 billion in a strategic move explicitly designed to neutralize a potential competitive threat. The acquisition was part of a systematic strategy to prevent emerging social media platforms from challenging Facebook’s market dominance. With Instagram having 27 …

Mark Zuckerberg Facebook Inc. Instagram Inc. Kevin Systrom Mike Krieger +1 more regulatory-capture tech-industry antitrust facebook meta +2 more
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Facebook Acquires Instagram for Billion to Neutralize Potential Competitor

| Importance: 8/10

Facebook acquired photo-sharing app Instagram for billion, implementing what the FTC would later characterize as a ‘buy or bury’ strategy to eliminate competitive threats. Internal emails revealed CEO Mark Zuckerberg explicitly stated the acquisition was motivated by a desire to …

Facebook Inc. Mark Zuckerberg Instagram Inc. Kevin Systrom Mike Krieger +1 more regulatory-capture tech-industry antitrust facebook meta +1 more
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Facebook Acquires Instagram for Billion to "Neutralize Potential Competitor"

| Importance: 8/10

Facebook acquired photo-sharing app Instagram for billion, implementing what the FTC would later characterize as a “buy or bury” strategy to eliminate competitive threats. Internal emails revealed CEO Mark Zuckerberg explicitly stated the acquisition was motivated by a desire to …

Facebook Inc. Mark Zuckerberg Instagram Inc. Kevin Systrom Mike Krieger +1 more regulatory-capture tech-industry antitrust facebook meta +1 more
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Ronald Perelman Receives $750 Million Drexel Blind Pool for Corporate Acquisitions

| Importance: 8/10

In 1985, Michael Milken of Drexel Burnham Lambert raised a $750 million blind pool for Ronald Perelman, providing him with unprecedented acquisition firepower. This innovative financial mechanism allowed Perelman to execute hostile corporate takeovers, most notably the acquisition of Revlon. The …

Ronald Perelman Michael Milken Drexel Burnham Lambert corporate-raiders ronald-perelman michael-milken drexel-burnham-lambert junk-bonds +4 more
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