Big Technology
Internal FTC Memo Announces Major Cuts Ahead of Tech Giant Action
FTC executive director David Robbins tells staff the agency will cut its case costs, freeze hiring, and lower IT spending as its resources dry up
Late last month, David Robbins, executive director of the Federal Trade Commission, sent a sullen memo to all staff.
The agency is at the forefront of the U.S. government’s effort to check the tech giants’ imposing power. It’s examining how Amazon uses its marketplace to squeeze suppliers. And it’s poised to bring an antitrust lawsuit against Facebook any day now.
Yet Robbins wasn’t there to deliver pats on the back: He was announcing a wave of significant cost cuts that could harm the FTC’s ability to bring cases.
“None of the cuts listed below are going to be easy,” Robbins said. “And none are what we would choose if we had ample funding.”
The Robbins memo, obtained by Big Technology, listed six areas where the agency would cut costs. In its first bullet point, it declared the FTC would either bring fewer cases or cut crucial litigation resources, including experts and case transcripts.
