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FTC investigates Google and Amazon over ad pricing transparency

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The U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has opened probes into Google and Amazon, examining whether the tech giants misled advertisers about the terms and costs of placing ads on their platforms, according to a source familiar with the matter.

The investigations, led by the FTC’s consumer protection unit, focus on whether the companies properly disclosed pricing structures and auction practices. Regulators are scrutinizing Amazon’s use of “reserve pricing”—a minimum price advertisers must accept before buying an ad—and whether those rules were clearly communicated. Google is being investigated for whether it raised ad costs internally without disclosing the changes to advertisers.

Both companies declined to comment on the probe.

The news comes as the two firms face mounting legal challenges. On September 22, trials are set to begin in separate federal cases:

  • The FTC vs. Amazon in Seattle, alleging the company enrolled consumers into Prime without consent and made cancellations excessively difficult.

  • The DOJ vs. Google in Virginia, where regulators are seeking the breakup of its advertising technology business, after a judge ruled the company illegally monopolized digital ads.

The FTC is also pursuing a broader case accusing Amazon of holding illegal monopolies in online marketplaces.

With the U.S. already pursuing multiple landmark antitrust and consumer protection cases, the latest probe further underscores regulators’ intensified scrutiny of Big Tech’s advertising power, a market worth hundreds of billions annually.

Democratic AGs Urge Court to Reconsider DOJ Settlement in $14B HPE-Juniper Deal

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A coalition of 20 Democratic attorneys general, led by Colorado’s Phil Weiser, is urging a federal court to scrutinize and potentially reject the U.S. Department of Justice’s settlement that cleared Hewlett-Packard Enterprise’s $14 billion acquisition of Juniper Networks.

In a letter filed Friday, the AGs argued the court must examine whether the DOJ’s decision was tainted by “undue influence” from politically connected lobbyists. “If… the evidence establishes that it was the product of undue influence, then the court should reject it as against the public interest,” Weiser wrote.

The DOJ initially sued to block the merger in January, shortly after Trump took office, citing antitrust concerns that the deal would leave HPE and Cisco controlling over 70% of the U.S. networking equipment market. But just before trial in June, the DOJ reversed course, dropping its case in exchange for HPE agreeing to license Juniper’s AI technology and divest a unit serving small and mid-sized businesses.

That reversal has fueled controversy. Two DOJ antitrust officials who approved the settlement were later fired, in what sources described as retaliation against division head Gail Slater for resisting political pressure to settle. Former DOJ official Roger Alford, one of those dismissed, later accused leadership of having “perverted justice” to favor HPE.

The AGs want the court to hear testimony from Alford and other DOJ staff, as well as consultants tied to HPE, before finalizing approval. The push sets up another flashpoint in the broader debate over antitrust enforcement and political interference in major tech-sector mergers.

AI Startup Perplexity Offers $34.5 Billion for Google Chrome

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Perplexity AI, led by Aravind Srinivas, made an unsolicited all-cash bid of $34.5 billion to acquire Google’s Chrome browser, a price far above its own $14 billion valuation. The offer comes as web browsers regain importance in the AI search race, providing access to billions of users and valuable search data.

Perplexity, which already operates an AI-enabled browser called Comet, plans to maintain Chrome’s open-source Chromium code, invest $3 billion over two years, and preserve the default search engine, pledging no equity component in the deal. The startup has raised around $1 billion from investors including Nvidia and SoftBank and stated multiple funds are willing to finance the offer.

Google has not commented and has no plans to sell Chrome, with regulatory pressure and an ongoing antitrust case possibly leading to a prolonged legal battle. Analysts note the sale could take years to resolve, with appeals potentially reaching the Supreme Court. Perplexity’s move follows previous high-profile offers, such as its bid for TikTok US in January, and highlights the growing competition in AI-driven search and browsers.