Amazon Will Reportedly Meet With FTC In An Effort to Head Off Antitrust Suit

Amazon will reportedly meet with regulators from the Federal Trade Commission in an effort to head off a massive antitrust suit the agency has been prepping.

FTC Chairwoman Lina Khan has been a longtime critic of Amazon. Under her leadership, the agency has reportedly been stepping up its efforts to reign in the e-commerce and cloud company, but The New York Times reports that Amazon is eager to avoid a battle.

The Times’ sources say that Amazon officials plan to meet with Khan, as well as FTC Commissioners Rebecca Kelly Slaughter and Alvaro Bedoya, next week. It is believed that the meeting will provide Amazon one last chance to make its case as to why the FTC should not pursue legal action.

Amazon has increasingly been under scrutiny as the company has pushed into a plethora of industries, from healthcare to groceries to a movie studio.

“It’s a watershed moment,” said Stacy Mitchell, a co-executive director of the Institute for Local Self-Reliance. “What we need to see from the F.T.C. is a case that targets the core of Amazon’s monopolization strategy.”

At this point, however, it seems unlikely that Amazon will be able to say anything that will succeed in dissuading the FTC.