Odd Lots

The DOJ’s Jonathan Kanter Explains the Bidenomics Approach to Antitrust

The pursuit of more competitive markets.

The US Department of Justice (DOJ) headquarters in Washington, DC, US,.

Photographer: Al Drago/Bloomberg
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A key plank of the Biden administration's "Bidenomics" involves stronger antitrust enforcement and we've seen the White House empower agencies like the Department of Justice to step up actions on monopolies and other behaviors that reduce competition. But what exactly counts as anti-competitive nowadays? And how does promoting competition sit alongside the administration's more proactive public investment and industrial policies? In this episode, we speak with Jonathan Kanter, assistant attorney general for the Antitrust Division at the DOJ, about how he's thinking about these issues. We also talk competition in banking after a wave of consolidation in the space, as well as new challenges posed by Big Tech and artificial intelligence. This transcript has been lightly edited for clarity.