conditionActivision Blizzard acquisition by Microsoft for about $69 billion is still being discussed. In the past few hours, in fact, it has emerged that the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), is the body Antitrust in the United StatesWill be broken within it on the behavior to be adopted in connection with the transaction. Conflict would pave the way for consent, albeit conditional.
According to an inside source, at least one of the Democratic district commissioners has expressed a favorable opinion of the merger, which could be problematic for the FTC chairman. Lina Khanwhich according to insiders wants to use the case to increase its credentials as a guarantor against agreements between big tech companies.
Also according to inside sources, it was Khan herself who pushed to sue Microsoft, in order to block the deal. In June 2022, she herself expressed herself in a very dubious manner about the entire deal, publicly saying that she would undergo Comprehensive investigations. Last month, Politico reported that the lawsuit was likely because agency employees were skeptical of Microsoft’s arguments.
Kristen Wilson, the only Republican-leaning commissioner on the FTC, has announced that she is in favor of the takeover. Adding the positive vote of the Democratic Commissioner, whose identity is still uncertain (Rebecca Slaughter, the most dependent, or Álvaro Bedoya) would create an overall equilibrium within the committee.
According to a New York Post source, the hypothesis of accepting a takeover, regardless of the dictation of some conditions, is becoming increasingly popular. Khan herself may soon give in and agree to a compromise, lest she end up with a 2-2 vote, which would not only confirm the deal but also risk undermining her authority over the FTC. Because of this, Khan will try to avoid being voted down and create a loophole, so as not to come out underrated.
