Don’t Break Up Big Tech, Says Antitrust Enforcer Who Fought Facebook

Australia has been punching way above its weight when it comes to tech regulation. Its showdown over news on Alphabet’s Google and Meta Platforms’ Facebook last year grabbed the world’s attention, forcing the two internet companies to back down from threats and agree to deals with traditional media outlets that are worth hundreds of millions of dollars each year.

Rod Sims, Australia’s chief antitrust official, was the architect of that precedent-setting faceoff. And the big-tech gadfly has made Australia a model for other countries looking to rein in dominant companies without discouraging innovation.

But as he nears the end of his run atop the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission, Sims has a possibly surprising warning for fellow antitrust regulators: Don’t break up big tech.