The Federal Trade Commission has been investigating Amazon’s Prime business for a while now, but the scope of that investigation is being broadened to include the company’s recent acquisitions in healthcare and robotics. Reports from The Wall Street Journal and Politico reveal that both of Amazon’s recent buyout propositions — of Roomba parent company iRobot and of medical provider One Medical — are now part of the FTC’s ongoing investigation.
While the FTC has kept quite tight-lipped about this investigation in general, it’s obvious at this point that it’s a sprawling one. The FTC could potentially sue to block either or both of these acquisitions, slowing or halting them. The watchdog agency has been increasingly proactive in its scrutiny of Big Tech acquisitions under the leadership of Lina Khan.
