From Platform Conduct to Competitive Outcomes

Today on EconWorks, we conclude our deep dive into the FAANG antitrust landscape by looking at the “invisible hands” of platform operators.

Key Topics Discussed:

• The Shift in Enforcement: Why U.S. antitrust complaints are focusing on user choice architecture and market access rather than just price.

• The Five Pillars of Conduct: Default placement (Google), App Store rules (Apple), Marketplace ranking (Amazon), Feed curation (Meta), and OS integration (Microsoft).

• Feedback Loop Dynamics: How data accumulation creates self-reinforcing cycles of usage and performance.

• The Future of Policy: Assessing innovation, access, and interoperability in platform-mediated markets.

Technical Deep Dive: For our paid subscribers, we have released a technical appendix featuring a simplified economic model that assesses how these governance choices affect new business entry and innovation incentives. To access the full report, visit