Bernie Sanders says government should look into breaking up big tech, report says
"I worry very much about monopolistic tendencies in many sectors of our economy, including high tech," Sanders reportedly says.
- She received the Renau Writing Scholarship in 2016 from the University of Louisville's communication department.
Sanders isn't the only one who's mentioned the possibility of pulling apart companies like Apple and Facebook.
Democratic presidential contender Bernie Sanders didn't fully call for the breakup of big tech companies Apple , Amazon and Google , but he suggested governments consider the option, Politico reported Tuesday. In the past, the longtime senator from Vermont has said he supports pulling apart Facebook as well.
"I worry very much about monopolistic tendencies in many sectors of our economy, including high tech," Sanders told Politico, "and I think we have to take a really hard look at the degree to which monopolization in all aspects of our economy are a threat to the American people."
Sen. Elizabeth Warren, one of Sanders' 2020 rivals in the Democratic race, has made the break up of big tech a key part of her presidential platform. Warren said the the monopolization of big companies hurts small businesses. She and other politicians rallied to the call of Facebook co-founder Chris Hughes, who said the social media site's CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, had too much power and the company should be split up.
Sanders' comments come as a lawmakers on Capitol Hill are building a broad antitrust investigation of Silicon Valley tech giants. Rep. David Cicilline, a Rhode Island Democrat, announced the probe earlier this month. The investigation will examine whether companies like Facebook and Google are taking part in anti-competitive behavior.
In addition, Apple was looped into a Department of Justice probe at the kick off of its WWDC conference for developers. During WWDC, Apple CEO Tim Cook defended the company and said Apple isn't a monopoly.
Sanders' office didn't immediately respond to a request for further comment on the Politico piece.
