The Argument

Could Breaking Up Meta Make Things Worse?


Listen Later

Facebook, Meta — whatever you want to call it, the tech titan has drawn a lot of ire, and not just from privacy advocates and people fighting misinformation. Antitrust regulators are sharpening their knives, too.

Forty-eight attorneys general want to slice the Big Tech giant into less-powerful pieces. They’ve joined a parallel lawsuit with the U.S. Federal Trade Commission to challenge what the agency alleges to be a monopoly engaging in illegal acquisitions. And overseas, Britain’s competition regulator has already directed Meta to sell one of its companies, the gif-sharing platform Giphy.

Meta reaches 3.6 billion monthly active users across platforms, including Instagram, WhatsApp and Facebook itself. Amid a growing techlash, how to fix Meta is a big question.

In today’s episode, Jane Coaston explores two opposing views on whether breaking up the company might help. Sarah Miller, the director of the American Economic Liberties Project, argues Meta engaged in anticompetitive practices by buying its rivals. And Tyler Cowen, an economist at George Mason University, is a champion of big business who lauds Meta as an “antimonopoly” engine.

(A full transcript of the episode will be available midday on the Times website.)

Mentioned in this episode:

  • The case summary of Federal Trade Commission v. Facebook, Inc.
  • "Breaking Up Facebook Is Not the Answer" by Nick Clegg, Facebook's vice president for global affairs and communications
  • Sway's episode with Lina Khan "She's Bursting Big Tech's Bubble"

Unlock full access to New York Times podcasts and explore everything from politics to pop culture. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

...more
View all episodesView all episodes
Download on the App Store

The ArgumentBy New York Times Opinion

  • 2.8
  • 2.8
  • 2.8
  • 2.8
  • 2.8

2.8

20 ratings


More shows like The Argument

View all
The Book Review by The New York Times

The Book Review

3,851 Listeners

Popcast by The New York Times

Popcast

1,454 Listeners

The Political Scene | The New Yorker by WNYC Studios and The New Yorker

The Political Scene | The New Yorker

3,903 Listeners

The New Yorker Radio Hour by WNYC Studios and The New Yorker

The New Yorker Radio Hour

6,639 Listeners

Modern Love by The New York Times

Modern Love

8,842 Listeners

Inside The Times by The New York Times

Inside The Times

130 Listeners

The Run-Up by The New York Times

The Run-Up

2,064 Listeners

The Daily by The New York Times

The Daily

110,824 Listeners

Change Agent by The New York Times

Change Agent

1,498 Listeners

Caliphate by The New York Times

Caliphate

12,625 Listeners

Charm City by The New York Times

Charm City

303 Listeners

Interesting Times with Ross Douthat by New York Times Opinion

Interesting Times with Ross Douthat

6,926 Listeners

Post Reports by The Washington Post

Post Reports

5,408 Listeners

The Latest by The New York Times

The Latest

469 Listeners

The Candidates by The New York Times

The Candidates

52 Listeners

Jungle Prince by The New York Times

Jungle Prince

2,320 Listeners

The Choice by New York Times Opinion

The Choice

380 Listeners

Sugar Calling by The New York Times

Sugar Calling

1,451 Listeners

Rabbit Hole by The New York Times

Rabbit Hole

6,672 Listeners

Hard Fork by The New York Times

Hard Fork

5,437 Listeners

The Ezra Klein Show by New York Times Opinion

The Ezra Klein Show

15,363 Listeners

Day X by The New York Times

Day X

1,493 Listeners

The Interview by The New York Times

The Interview

1,478 Listeners

The Run-Up (2016) by The New York Times

The Run-Up (2016)

7 Listeners

Sway by New York Times Opinion

Sway

66 Listeners

First Person by The New York Times

First Person

10 Listeners

The Headlines by The New York Times

The Headlines

513 Listeners

The Opinions by The New York Times Opinion

The Opinions

452 Listeners

The Run-Up Guide to 2024 by The New York Times

The Run-Up Guide to 2024

0 Listeners

The New York Times Narrated by The New York Times

The New York Times Narrated

50 Listeners