the case ofacquisition of Activision Blizzard by Microsoft for about 69 billion dollars continues to be discussed. In the past few hours, in fact, it has emerged that the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), the body antitrust USAwould be broken within it on the behavior to adopt regarding the transaction. The conflict is such that it could pave the way for approval, albeit conditional.
According to an inside source, at least one of the Democratic area commissioners has expressed a favorable opinion on the merger, which could prove to be a problem for the FTC president. Lina Khanwhich according to insiders would like to use the case to increase its credentials as guarantor against agreements between large technology companies.
Also according to internal sources, it would be Khan herself who pushed to sue Microsoft, so as to block the transaction. In June 2022, she herself had expressed herself in a very dubious way about the whole deal, stating publicly that it would be subject to thorough investigations. Last month, Politico reported that a lawsuit was likely because agency staff were skeptical of Microsoft’s arguments.
Christine Wilson, the FTC’s only Republican-leaning commissioner, has already made it known that she is in favor of the acquisition. The addition of the favorable vote of a Democratic commissioner, whose identity is still uncertain (Rebecca Slaughter, the most accredited, or Alvaro Bedoya) would create a situation of total balance within the commission.
According to the source of the New York Post, the hypothesis of accepting the acquisition, however dictating some conditions, is therefore becoming increasingly popular. Khan herself may soon capitulate 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. For this reason, Khan would be trying to avoid the vote and to create a loophole, so as not to come out belittled.
