Someone Should Sue to Break Up Big Tech's DC Lobby Monopoly
There has been a lot of news about a lot of lawsuits filed against Big Tech.
Just last week….
Social Media Trials Usher in Big Tech’s Latest Moment of Reckoning:
“‘The message is clear,’ New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez, whose investigation resulted in a jury finding on Tuesday that Meta must pay $375 million for failing to protect kids from child predators, told POLITICO in an interview. ‘It’s time to change the way these companies do business.’
“Less than 24 hours after the New Mexico verdict, jurors ruled against Meta and Google-owned YouTube in a Los Angeles social media addiction trial, ordering a total of $6 million in damages.
“The widely popular platforms, along with others like Snap and TikTok, once appeared unstoppable as they designed their algorithms for maximum user engagement….
“Tech’s critics are pouncing, determined that this time they will deliver Silicon Valley its long-threatened comeuppance.”
The wheels of justice turn slowly. And by that I mean these court cases often take many years to arrive at a conclusion.
These cases have already taken years. And they ain’t anywhere near a conclusion:
“The companies have vowed to appeal.”
Shocker.
These are but two of oh-so-many lawsuits filed against Big Tech.
Six Major Tech Lawsuits to Keep Tabs On
There are monopoly lawsuits. Privacy lawsuits. Data breach lawsuits. Artificial Intelligence (AI) lawsuits. And on, and on, and….
Why are the people trying to rein in Big Tech - placing so much time, money, effort and hope in the courts?
Because they know they’ll get absolutely nowhere in DC.
Because in three decades? They’ve gotten absolutely nowhere in DC.
Because Big Tech OWNS DC.
Behold the Lords of Lobby.
Big Tech companies are a part of at least two major tech lobby associations.
NetChoice: “Works to make the Internet safe for free enterprise and free expression.”
TechNet: “We are the voice of American innovation.”
Both groups have as members:
Google (Alphabet) Market Cap: $3.3 trillion
Amazon Market Cap: $2.1 trillion
Facebook (Meta) Market Cap: $1.3 trillion
Google-Alphabet owns YouTube (Market Cap: $550 billion) - but YouTube is also a separate, unilaterally-listed member of NetChoice.
To make a little more manageable this analysis, we will henceforth continue to focus only on the three Big Tech companies that are members of both aforementioned tech lobby associations.
But as you can probably guess, the Magnificent 7 tech companies (Apple, Microsoft, Amazon, Alphabet, Meta Platforms, Nvidia, and Tesla) are nigh all HIGHLY active lobbyists.
Total lobby expenditures for the Mag 7 in 2025? $88.4 million.
Back to our Three….
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Besides the aforementioned two associations - and even more others - Facebook-Meta also gives money to:
Business Roundtable
Computer & Communications Industry Association (CCIA)
Consumer Technology Association (CTA)
Information Technology Industry Council (ITI)
Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB)
Coalition for American Innovation
Data Center Coalition
And various others focused on AI, privacy, advertising, and innovation policy.
In total, Facebook-Meta spent $26.3 million on lobbying in 2025.
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Besides the aforementioned two associations - and even more others - Amazon also gives money to:
U.S. Chamber of Commerce
Business Roundtable
National Retail Federation
Consumer Technology Association (CTA)
Computer & Communications Industry Association (CCIA)
Motion Picture Association
Others like the Bipartisan Policy Center, National Association of Manufacturers, and various tech/retail coalitions.
Wow does a lot of that list look familiar.
In total, Amazon spent $18.9 million on lobbying in 2025.
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Besides the aforementioned two associations - and even more others - Google-Alphabet also gives money to:
U.S. Chamber of Commerce
Business Roundtable
Consumer Technology Association (CTA)
Computer & Communications Industry Association (CCIA)
Information Technology Industry Council (ITI)
Others like the Bipartisan Policy Center, Atlantic Council, American Enterprise Institute, and various advertising/tech coalitions.
Wow does a lot of that list look familiar.
In total, Google-Alphabet spent $16.5 million on lobbying in 2025.
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The point of all of this is?
Big Tech spends metric tons of lobby money. On just about everyone in DC. To ensure that no one in DC does anything Big Tech doesn’t like.
And it’s worked - like a charm.
Thirty years of the Internet? And DC has passed ZERO limits on how Big Tech collects and sells our data. This dearth of limits has made Big Tech tens trillions of dollars.
Hence all of the aforementioned privacy and data breach lawsuits.
Meanwhile, DC is moving at warp speed to ensure Big Tech can do whatever it wants to whomever it wants with Artificial Intelligence (AI). Zero federal guardrails. Whilst The Feds override state and local laws, politicians and citizens trying to at least tap the brakes.
Hence all of the aforementioned AI lawsuits - and the vociferous local opposition to AI-feeding data centers.
DC spends decades trying to illegally jam Big Tech mega-cronyism Net Neutrality down everyone’s throats. And steadfastly protecting Big Tech’s Section 230 blanket amnesty mega-cronyism.
In short: Big Tech owns DC.
So it’s little wonder people trying to rein in Big Tech? Have turned to the courts to attempt to do so.
Which raises another thought:
Since we can’t break through Big Tech’s DC lobby monopoly?
Perhaps someone should sue Big Tech - under antitrust - to break up their DC influence mega-cabal.
It can’t get them any less than trying to out-lobby them has.