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Elizabeth Warren Wants to Make Mega Tech Companies 'Platform Utilities'

By William Vogeler, Esq. on March 11, 2019 | Last updated on March 21, 2019

Taking her presidential campaign into a virtual cyberwar, Sen. Elizabeth Warren said that she would break up Amazon, Google, and Facebook if elected.

Warren said that she would designate the companies as "platform utilities," and then break them apart "from any participant on the platform." Basically, she wants to cut up any monopolies the tech giants may have going.

It may be too late for that, however. If Facebook could vote, 2.27 billion users can't be wronged.

"Break Up Big Tech"

Warren broke out her plan on a blog post -- not on Facebook or Google, of course.

"Here's how we can break up Big Tech," she says: "platform utilities" would be companies with an annual global revenue of $25 billion or more that offer an online marketplace, exchange, or platform. Smaller companies, doing $90 million to $25 billion, would be subject to similar standards.

So by 2020, that would be every marijuana company? Just kidding, but some might ask: what is the honorable senator smoking? Will she be funding her campaign without tech contributions?

Amazon Basics

The main part of Warren's plan would require Amazon Basics, which are Amazon products, to be split from the Amazon Marketplace. Google Search and its ad exchange would be busted up, etc.

She would also "unwind anti-competitive mergers," such as Amazon's purchase of Whole Foods and Google's acquisition of Waze and Nest. Facebook would have to let go of Instagram and WhatsApp.

As unlikely as it may seem, stranger things have happened. In 2016, Facebook somehow helped Donald Trump get elected.

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