EU Antitrust Chief Vestager Reflects on Big Tech Battles: ‘We Should Have Moved Faster’
A Decade of Enforcement with Lingering Regrets
Margrethe Vestager, the European Union’s outgoing competition commissioner, leaves behind a legacy of high-profile antitrust actions against tech giants like Apple and Google. Yet in a candid New York Times interview, she admits her decade-long tenure was only “partly successful”—expressing regret over not acting more aggressively against Big Tech’s dominance.
The Unfinished Fight Against Digital Dominance
Despite landmark cases and billions in fines:
- Limited market impact: Major platforms still control most online consumer experiences
- Long-term regulations: The full effects of the Digital Markets Act (DMA) may take years to materialize
- Missed opportunities: Vestager suggests regulators globally should have been “bolder” in their approach
A Warning for Future Regulators
Vestager’s remarks carry particular urgency with the incoming U.S. administration. She emphasizes:
“We are in the business of deterrence. If we do not once in a while use our most powerful tools, there’s no deterrence.”
This statement references the DOJ’s recent proposal to break up Google, underscoring her belief in stronger antitrust measures.
The Vestager Legacy: A Work in Progress
While her tenure saw unprecedented actions against tech monopolies, Vestager acknowledges:
- Regulatory delays: The slow pace of antitrust proceedings couldn’t match tech’s rapid evolution
- Structural challenges: Breaking entrenched market dominance requires more than fines
- Global coordination: Effective tech regulation demands international cooperation
Her final advice to successors? Move faster, think bigger, and don’t shy away from using regulators’ full authority to reshape digital markets.
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