Big Tech CEOs Face Antitrust Hearing

Wednesday's House antitrust hearing with the CEOs of Facebook, Google, Amazon and Apple went down some politically fraught rabbit holes, but also saw tech's most powerful figures face sharper questions than they've seen before from Washington.

What's happening: Republicans slammed the companies for alleged anti-conservative bias, but Democrats largely narrowed their focus to possible competitive abuses, putting the CEOs on their back feet and producing some surprising admissions.

Why it matters: The face-off is the culmination of a protracted conflict between Washington and Silicon Valley that has seen members of...

Democrats and Republicans in Congress came out swinging against Amazon, Apple, Facebook and Google on Wednesday, needling the tech giants’ top executives over their size, power and approach to a wide array of issues, including the content they allow online.

Rep. David N. Cicilline (D-R.I.), the chairman of the House’s top antitrust subcommittee, opened the wide-ranging hearing by stressing that lawmakers’ year-long investigation into the industry had informed his growing belief that the country’s largest technology companies have “wielded their power in disruptive, harmful ways,” risking not only competition but...