The Hopkins Forum: Should the U.S. Government Break Up Big Tech?

Description

Has Big Tech become too powerful? From social media platforms and e-commerce giants to cloud computing and AI, tech companies like Amazon, Apple, Alphabet, Meta, and Microsoft wield unprecedented influence over our economy, democracy, and daily lives. The government is taking notice, with the Department of Justice and Federal Trade Commission pursuing landmark antitrust actions and bipartisan support building for breaking up tech giants.

Advocates argue these firms are monopolies that stifle competition and innovation, harm consumers through data exploitation, abuse their market dominance, and wield outsized influence over public discourse. Structural separation, such as forcing Google to divest YouTube or Amazon to spin off AWS, would restore fairness. Others argue that breaking them up would undermine innovation and downgrade the user experience, which benefits from integrated ecosystems. It would serve as a blunt instrument when smarter regulation or self-governance could suffice. These measures could lead to unintended consequences for national security, critical infrastructure, and the broader economy.

As these tech companies grow their influence while under public scrutiny, we debate the question: Should the U.S. government break up big tech?

The SNF Agora Institute is providing dinner and transportation for Johns Hopkins Homewood students attending the event.

About The Hopkins Forum
The Hopkins Forum is a nonpartisan live debate series from Johns Hopkins University and Open to Debate that will consist of eight live events in Washington, D.C., and Baltimore over the course of two years. Previous debates have focused on Supreme Court reform, the legacy of the COVID-19 pandemic, and U.S.-China AI race.