Once upon a time, Amazon was a quirky website for buying books. Today, it has grown into a massive corporation that has expanded its business into various sectors of daily life. From retail shopping to streaming services to health care, Amazon has made its mark. For decades, regulators turned a blind eye as Amazon dominated the market. However, that is beginning to change.
A landmark lawsuit filed by the Federal Trade Commission accused Amazon of participating in illegal market behavior. Regulators are now calling for the e-commerce giant to be held accountable for violating antitrust laws. Surprisingly, Amazon could have possibly faced legal action much earlier. On Lever Time, David Sirota and Senior Podcast Producer Arjun Singh delve into the history of how an ideological movement influenced by business interests hindered antitrust enforcement in the United States for almost half a century, enabling Jeff Bezos to create his vast empire.
In the premium episode of Lever Time for paid subscribers, the discussion focuses on whether Ronald Reagan intentionally destroyed middle-class wealth. According to Stacy Mitchell, co-executive director of the Institute for Local Self-Reliance and a monopoly power expert, the answer is yes. Discover the reasons behind this claim in Monday’s episode.