What Matt Gaetz’s Attorney General Nomination Means for Tech

All those techies and bankers hoping the new Trump administration will relax Joe Biden’s tough antitrust approach might want to think again. Donald Trump on Wednesday said he would nominate Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz as attorney general, putting forward someone who has appeared supportive of Federal Trade Commission Chair Lina Khan and has called for the breakup of big tech companies. 

The timing is propitious, coming the same day that a judge ruled the FTC’s antitrust case against Facebook owner Meta Platforms should proceed, dismissing an effort by Meta to have the case thrown out. The FTC argues Meta used the acquisitions of Instagram and WhatsApp to gain an illegal monopoly in social media, and has said it may seek the divestiture of both apps if it wins the case.