FTC Picks New Antitrust Top Cop to Battle Facebook, Probe Amazon

A little-known criminal antitrust prosecutor at the U.S. Department of Justice, Eyitayo St. Matthew-Daniel, is expected to be named the top antitrust enforcer at the department’s sister agency, the Federal Trade Commission, say three people familiar with the situation. The previously unreported pick comes from current Acting FTC Chair Rebecca Kelly Slaughter, who has advocated for more aggressive antitrust enforcement against big tech companies and expansion of the types of cases the agency pursues.

St. Matthew-Daniel would lead a nearly 300-person unit of the agency that is battling Facebook in court, conducting a probe of Amazon’s practices and reviewing mergers such as Nvidia’s takeover of chip designer Arm. Her appointment would follow President Joe Biden’s nomination of antimonopoly activist Lina Khan to be an FTC commissioner, pending Senate confirmation. Both moves show how the new administration is strengthening the hand of big tech’s opponents at an agency criticized in the past for not pursuing cases against companies like Facebook more aggressively.