• Psychodelic@lemmy.world
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    15 days ago

    I get what you’re saying, there’s been way too much consolidation in way too many industries.

    That said, there have been quite a few mergers that have been blocked in the last 4ish years or so, to my surprise and pleasure. Albertsons-Kroger is the recent big one that in the news. JetBlue + Spirit were also blocked, and so was Penguin Random House + Simon & Schuster. Apparently, UnitedHealth wanted to merge with another insurance company and that was blocked as well

    Granted, it’s worth remembering: any examples of things they don’t like will always be blown out of proportion, by the right, and made to seem as though the sky is falling.

    Found this quote, which seems legit, tho the website seems a bit sketchy.

    This year, regulatory bodies, particularly the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and the Department of Justice (DOJ), have been actively scrutinizing merger deals to maintain market competition. Albertsons’ $25 billion merger with Kroger was halted, underscoring the FTC’s commitment to prevent monopolistic behaviors. Similarly, JetBlue and Spirit Airlines pulled back their $3.8 billion deal following a judicial decision highlighting anti-competitive issues. In the luxury sector, Tapestry’s attempt to acquire Capri was nixed by a court decision driven by an FTC lawsuit. Meanwhile, Avangrid’s acquisition of PNM Resources hit a dead end without regulatory approval, and UnitedHealth Group’s planned $3.3 billion takeover of Amedisys is facing DOJ lawsuits over competition concerns in home health services.

    Source: https://finimize.com/content/regulators-put-brakes-on-major-merger-deals-in-2024