Letter to Hon. Lina M. Khan, Chair of the FTC - Klobuchar Urges Federal Trade Commission to Investigate Amazon's Proposed Acquisition of One Medical

Letter

Dear Chair Khan

Today Amazon announced that it is buying One Medical in a deal valued at $3.9 billion. I write to urge the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to thoroughly investigate this proposed deal.

Amazon has a history of engaging in business practices that raise serious anticompetitive concerns, including forcing small businesses on its site to buy its logistics services as a condition of preferred platform placement, using small businesses' non-public data to to compete against them, and, as was recently disclosed in new documents from the House Judiciary Committee's Big Tech investigation, potential restricting advertising by competitors who could offer lower prices and better service. In addition, Amazon has been accused of misrepresenting facts when testifying under oath to Congress, a matter which has been referred to the Department of Justice for further investigation.

Against this backdrop, Amazon still continues to buy up more and more companies. In fact, it has bought 118 companies in the last 25 years.

This proposed transaction raises questions about potential anticompetitive effects related to the pharmacy services business Amazon already owns and about preferencing vendors who offer other services through Amazon. I also ask that the FTC consider the role of data, including as a potential barrier to entry, given that this proposed deal could result in the accumulation of highly sensitive personal health data in the hands of an already data-intensive company.

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