Q&A: Taking On the Biggest Problems and the Biggest Companies

An exit interview with Jonathan Kanter, Biden’s head of the Justice Department Antitrust Division

by David Dayen January 13, 2025

Even President Biden has spoken candidly about some of the disappointments of the Department of Justice in his term.But one division of DOJ hardly disappointed: the Antitrust Division. Under the direction of Jonathan Kanter, DOJ Antitrust was one of the most active corners of the federal government in the past four years, winning the first major monopolization case in a quarter-century, blocking dozens of mergers, and restoring the posture of zealously defending competition in the U.S. economy.

SNIP
David Dayen: Thanks for doing this. Winning the Google monopolization case is probably what you’ll be best known for. Do you think that victory had impact beyond the particular case, as a lesson that monopolization won’t be tolerated?

Jonathan Kanter: For better or for worse, the case became a symbol of the applicability of antitrust law to protect modern economies. In many ways it was a test of whether antitrust enforcement works in the modern era. We succeeded and demonstrated that antitrust laws do apply and can work against modern tech companies. It showed that we can bring the requisite talent and skill to win.

I think one of the things we’ll be known for is the Google case. More broadly we’ll be known for revitalizing Section 2 [of the Sherman Act], revitalizing monopolization law. It’s Google, it’s Apple, it’s Visa, it’s RealPage, it’s Ticketmaster, it’s Agri Stats, it’s the case against UnitedHealthcare. It’s about getting the Department of Justice back to not just taking on the biggest problems but the biggest companies. https://prospect.org/economy/2025-01-13-qa-taking-on-biggest-problems-companies-jonathan-kanter-interview/

My heroes, Khan and Kanter