Thread by @matthewstoller

The #bigtechbarons hearing is starting.

Key point. This hearing is not just a one-off, it is *part* of an investigation. @davidcicilline says they have millions of documents from both the companies as well over a hundred competitors. #bigtechbarons

@davidcicilline notes commonalities of #bigtechbarons:

(1) They each are bottlenecks
(2) They each engage in surveillance

This is amazing. @davidcicilline posits that this is a battle between Monopoly power and democracy. #BigTechBarons #BigTechHearing

"Our founders would not bow before a king, we should not bow before the emperors of online commerce." - @davidcicilline #bigtechhearing #bigtechbarons

Now @JimPressOffice is giving the GOP opening statement. So far it's a reasonable statement, talking about dominance, making the point that "big is not bad." Serious statement discussing data and market structure. Bipartisan, this is good. #BigTechHearing

"I share the concern that market dominance is rife for abuse." - @JimPressOffice #BigTechHearing

This is the stock price of #bigtechbarons since this investigation began. Trillions of dollars in an increase of market capitalization. #BigTechHearing

Now @RepJerryNadler starts with citing Brandeis. #BigTechHearing

Everyone so far uses the word 'dominance.'

Good historical lesson from @RepJerryNadler. So far Sensenbrenner, Cicilline, and Nadler are bringing seriousness to this hearing. #BigTechBarons #BigTechHearing

Love @RepJerryNadler bringing Emanuel Celler and his anti-monopoly subcommittee into the conversation. #BigTechBarons

This is amazing, just like the hearings I read when I researched Goliath.

Time for @Jim_Jordan. "Big tech is out to get conservatives." Talking about the World Health Organization and China, Amazon banning Trump and Twitch. #bigtechbarons

So far hearing nothing about monopoly or competition.🤔🤔🤔

What's so irritating about @Jim_Jordan is that everything he's talking about is *a monopoly problem* but he's here to defend monopoly and then harangue the monopolists for not being nicer to what *he thinks.* #BigTechHearing #BigTechBarons

It's kind of funny that @Jim_Jordan doesn't get to the defense of #BigTechBarons because it just doesn't fit in his haranguing of #bigtech for conservative bias. Jordan is now being a clown and being disruptive. @davidcicilline shuts him down hard.

It's so great that @davidcicilline made it 100% clear that this hearing is serious and that you don't fuck with him. #BigTechBarons

Jeff Bezos is now up talking up how awesome his Mom and Dad are. #BigTechBarons

"It is still Day One for this country." - Jeff Bezos

That's very much a 'what is good for General Motors is good for America' answer.