In just a few months, Lina Khan, 35, has become a central figure in American politics. A star in demand for selfies – something unheard of at the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), the nation’s competition watchdog. A frail figure with a confident voice, she has revolutionized the fight against monopolies by imposing a fresh interpretation of antitrust legislation in the United States, tailored to the digital age.
A leading critic of the anti-competitive practices of Big Tech, Khan has chaired the FTC since 2021. These days, she gets invited everywhere. On September 20, she spoke at the Council on Foreign Relations – a first for a think tank that usually specializes in global affairs. On September 26, she appeared on Hasan Minhaj’s provocative YouTube show. The host staged a hilarious rivalry between the young law expert and the esteemed justice minister, Merrick Garland, over the privilege of suing and dismantling Google. “It didn’t quite happen like that,” Khan patiently corrected.
During her appearance on 60 Minutes (CBS), one of the most respected television programs in the US, Khan made an impact on September 22 by highlighting the cost disparity of inhalers In Europe, these asthma devices cost less than $10, while in the US, they cost several hundred dollars. Under her leadership, the FTC showed that manufacturers were continuing to abuse their patents – despite the device being invented in the 1950s – to block generic competition. In June, three manufacturers agreed to reduce their prices to $35. “It’s disturbing to think that pharma companies got away for so long with inflating the cost of these essential drugs, forcing American families to struggle,” she said.
Every time Khan makes a public appearance, the young woman aims to educate. She explains the mission of the FTC, an agency created in 1914 to strengthen the fight against the monopolies of the steel, oil and rail barons. To an audience uninformed about the economy’s structure, she described harmful economic consolidation in sectors such as food, aviation, telecommunication and pharmaceuticals. Khan pointed to the 2022 case of baby formula caused by a single contamination in a single factory as an example of the risks consumers face. She also criticized the lack of competition among internet providers, leading to high prices, saying that the system is rigged to their detriment. According to Khan, market concentration is the main reason prices have remained high after the Covid-19 pandemic – a phenomenon progressives call “greedflation,” inflation caused by the appetite of conglomerates.
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