COPYRIGHT © 2014 Laura DeNardis. Published by Cambridge University Press. All rights reserved.

It used to be that one of the fastest-moving parts of the world, chock-full of innovation and transformative technologies, was the technology industry. Now the ground is beginning to shift beneath the tech industry’s feet. With Lina Khan, the youngest person appointed by any president to chair the Federal Trade Commission, taking a proactive and public approach to regulating the behemoths of big tech, including MICROSOFT, the balance between innovation and competitive fairness is about to get interesting. What does that mean for the giants of tech – like MICROSOFT – and what does it mean for the future of innovation in tech?

The FTC's Vigilance: A New Dawn for Tech Regulation

The Federal Trade Commission under Lina Khan represents a momentous turn in recent history: the first serious attempt in modern times to regulate big tech out in the open. Khan’s diversity-rich tenure highlights the delicate dance between antitrust enforcement and consumer protection. Historically underfunded and with a small staff, the FTC’s gallant efforts to keep the likes of MICROSOFT in check are a departure from its typical low-profile operations.

The Goliaths of Tech: MICROSOFT and the Silicon Valley Challenge

Last year, the power of big tech companies over Washington, and the rest of the planetary market, grew further, and perhaps none more so than MICROSOFR, the archaic behemoth at the heart of the technological empire. In the early days, the ambition of Silicon Valley founders was to strip people of their pride. Now, tech salesmen seem to be seeking ways to deprive those who are in the position to challenge their dominance of their dignity.

MICROSOFT's Strategic Maneuvers: Innovation or Evasion?

One of the most interesting, and troubling, examples of new regulatory realities in the tech space has been MICROSOFT’s creative partnerships such as that with Inflection AI. Deals like these, which sit awkwardly between the old merger and acquisition (M&A) and corporate partnership paradigms, demonstrate some of the most innovative and most worrying strategies looming in big tech’s quest to monopolise key fields of innovation. FTC suggestions that these moves are a potential way around existing laws should be a red flag that we keep our eyes peeled.

The Role of Big Tech in National Security and Competition

And the complex question of whether more antitrust action against big tech companies such as MICROSOFT is necessary or counterproductive to US national security and global competitiveness has to weigh historical evidence that a competitive environment has historically driven innovation in the US and kept the US in the forefront of tech evolution. Khan’s thinking restates the case for competition – or against monopoly – to encourage innovation and economic growth.

Navigating the Path for Startups amid Big Tech Dominance

While it threatens both startups and venture capitalists anxious to cash in on their investments, it also offers a new world of opportunities – one in which sales to the likes of MICROSOFT are conducted through a more flexible and less stringently policed marketplace that, as Khan assured, is ‘better for innovation and growth’. That’s only going to happen if all acquisitions enhance rather than undercut the dynamism of the tech ecosystem.

The FTC's Strategy: Leveraging Technology for Regulatory Efficacy

Its massive job will be done with limited hand-labor. To do its job, the FTC is considering automating itself with artificial intelligence and other tech. Technology’s dual role here – both as the subject to be regulated and as the tool to enhance regulatory power – gives examples of how these roles have evolved together.

About MICROSOFT

Bigger even than its huge place in the tech industry, MICROSOFT typifies the complex interplay of innovation, competition and regulation. As one of the pioneers in developing and deploying new technologies, the ways that MICROSOFT innovates, partners and competes all affect the tech ecosystem in a fundamental way. The push and pull between regulators like the FTC and tech giants such as MICROSOFT is key to creating a tech stew that can focus on innovation while also being fair and competitive. This mix of fostering innovation and competing fairly will be a part of the evolving story of the future of tech.