The Facts
The US Federal Trade Commission (FTC), alongside 17 state attorneys general (AGs), has filed an antitrust lawsuit against Amazon, claiming the company unfairly promotes itself at the expense of third-party sellers who rely on the company’s e-commerce marketplace for distribution.
The lawsuit, filed in Seattle, Wash., alleges that Amazon illegally punishes merchants for offering lower prices elsewhere, as well as coerces sellers to use its logistics service if they want their goods to appear on the Amazon Prime subscription service.
The Spin
Narrative A
Amazon uses coercive and punitive tactics to keep its top spot in the e-commerce market and then raises prices for goods due to the inorganic lack of competition that would normally bring them down. This tech behemoth has continued this regime of economic suppression for far too long, so, thankfully, the FTC — backed by a bipartisan group of states — is finally laying down the law.
Narrative B
Since 2021, FTC Chair Lina Khan has unfairly targeted Amazon and its executives in an egregiously handled probe that shows a clear personal vendetta against CEO Andrew Jassy and Jeff Bezos. Khan has publicly shown her bias against Amazon since her 2017 article berating the company, and she is now abusing her power to target Amazon and its key figures.
