WASHINGTON REPRESENTATIVE WAS AT THE CENTER OF IT ALL FOR A
SECOND STRAIGHT DAY.
>> Reporter: WE WOULD BE
REMISS IF WE DID NOT POINT OUT
THE COMIC IRONY THAT THE
HISTORIC TESTIMONY OF THESE
FOUR CEOS WAS DELAYED AN HOUR
AND STOPPED MIDWAY THROUGH
BECAUSE OF TECH PROBLEMS.
THEY ARE JUST LIKE THE REST OF
US.
US.
US. ONCE
US. ONCE THEY BEGAN TESTIFYING
REMOTELY BECAUSE OF THE
PANDEMIC, THE VERBAL FIREWORKS
CAME QUICKLY.
CAME QUICKLY. >> YOUR COMPANY HARVESTS AND
MONETIZES OUR DATA AND THEN
USES THE DATA TO SPY ON
COMPETITORS AND TO COPY,
ACQUIRE, AND KILL RIVALS.
YOU HAVE USED FACEBOOK'S POWER
TO THREATEN SMALLER COMPETITORS
AND ENSURE THAT YOU ALWAYS GET
YOUR WAY.
YOUR WAY.
YOUR WAY. THESE TACTICS REINFORCE
FACEBOOK'S DOMINANCE WHICH YOU
THEN USE IN INCREASINGLY
DESTRUCTIVE WAYS.
DESTRUCTIVE WAYS. FACEBOOK'S VERY MODEL MAKES IT
IMPOSSIBLE FOR NEW COMPANIES
TO FLOURISH SEPARATELY.
THAT HARMS OUR DEMOCRACY AND
MOM-AND-POP BUSINESSES AND
THAT HARMS CONSUMERS.
I YELLED BACK.
>> Reporter: THEY FACED
POINTED QUESTIONS FROM BOTH
REPUBLICANS AND DEMOCRATS ABOUT
A VARIETY OF ISSUES.
GOOGLE'S CONTROL OF THE SEARCH
ENGINE MARKET AND YOUTUBE,
FACEBOOK'S HANDLING OF HATE
SPEECH ON COMPETITORS.
APPLES DOMINANCE OF APPS AND
AMAZON'S TREATMENT OF
WAREHOUSE WORKERS AS WELL AS
THIRD-PARTY SELLERS WHICH
BECAME A CONTENTIOUS POINT
WITH JEFF BEZOS WHO HAS BEEN
TESTIFYING BEFORE CONGRESS FOR
THE VERY FIRST TIME.
>> WE HAVE A POLICY AGAINST
USING INDIVIDUAL SELLER DATA
TO COMPETE WITH PRIVATE LABEL
PRODUCTS.
PRODUCTS.
PRODUCTS. >> Reporter: YOU CANNOT ASSURE
US THAT THAT WAS NOT VIOLATED
ROUTINELY.
ROUTINELY. >> WE ARE INVESTIGATING THAT.
>> Reporter: IT WAS NOT ALL
CONFRONTATIONAL BUT WITH FOUR
COMPANIES COMBINING FOR A
VALUE OF NEARLY $5 TRILLION
EVEN SOME OF THE MOST
SUPPORTIVE STATEMENTS WERE
RELEASED WITH CYNICISM.
>> THE WHOLE GOAL OF THIS
WORKER TO MAKE SURE THAT THERE
ARE MORE AMAZONS AND APPLES
AND MORE COMPANIES THAT GET TO
INNOVATE AND SMALL BUSINESSES
GET TO THRIVE.
THAT IS WHAT WE ARE TRYING TO
GET OUT.
GET OUT.
GET OUT. THAT IS WHY WE NEED TO
REGULATE THESE MARKETPLACES SO
THAT NO COMPANY HAS A PLATFORM
SO DOMINANT THAT IT IS
ESSENTIALLY A MONOPOLY.
>> Reporter: THIS
INVESTIGATION HAS BEEN GOING
ON FOR ABOUT A YEAR NOW.
THE NEW YORK TIMES REPORTS
THAT IT IS COMING TO AN END
SOON BUT THERE IS NO KNOWN
TIMELINE FOR ANY ACTION THAT
CONGRESS MIGHT TAKE.
>> THANK YOU.
>>> SO HOW WAS THE VIEWING
HERE.
HERE.
HERE. CHRIS DANIELS HAS THE REACTION.
CHRIS, JEFF BEZOS WAS
PRESSURED IN SOME PART ON WHAT
HAS BEEN HAPPENING HERE
LOCALLY.
LOCALLY.
LOCALLY. >> Reporter: THE PRESSURE
INTENSIFIED ON HIM TO TESTIFY
BEFORE CONGRESS AFTER A COUPLE
OF WHISTLEBLOWERS.
OF WHISTLEBLOWERS. AMAZON EMPLOYEES STEP FORWARD
TO COMPLAIN ABOUT WORKER
CONDITIONS.
CONDITIONS. ONE OF THEM HERE IN SEATTLE
WAS WATCHING THE HEARINGS WITH
INTENSITY TODAY.
INTENSITY TODAY. >> I CANNOT COMMENT ON THAT
BECAUSE I DO NOT REMEMBER IT.
>> Reporter: YOU CAN HEAR HOW
MUCH EVIDENCE THERE IS
POINTING TO THIS SORT OF
EXCESS OF POWER THAT THESE
FOUR CORPORATIONS HAVE.
>> Reporter: SHE SAT WITH A
UNIQUE PERSPECTIVE ON THE
DEALINGS IN DC.
SHE WAS FIRED EARLIER THIS
YEAR FOR SPEAKING UP ABOUT THE
CLIMATE FOOTPRINT OF AMAZON
AND WORKER SAFETY.
HER TERMINATION.
HER TERMINATION. >> THIS IS 11 YEARS AGO.
YOU ARE ASKING A LOT OF MY
MEMORY.
MEMORY.
MEMORY. >> Reporter: AND INCREASED
PRESSURE ON JEFF BEZOS TO
TESTIFY.
TESTIFY.
TESTIFY. >> BECAUSE DIAPERS.COM IS A
SUCCESSFUL AMAZON SAW IT AS A
THREAT.
THREAT.
THREAT. >> Reporter: JEFF BEZOS WAS
QUIZZED ABOUT THE DEAL TO
PURCHASE DIAPERS.COM.
PURCHASE DIAPERS.COM. SHE SAID SHE WAS PART OF THAT
DIVISION AT THE TIME.
>> THEY WERE DEDICATED SELLER
THEY WERE DIAPERS ONLY.
THEY WERE DOING ONE THING
REALLY WELL AND THEY WERE HARD
TO COMPETE WITH FOR THAT
PARTICULAR PRODUCT.
PARTICULAR PRODUCT. >> DIAPERS IS A VERY LARGE
PRODUCT CATEGORY.
PRODUCT CATEGORY. >> Reporter: SHE WAS NOT
SURPRISED THAT HE WAS ASKED
WHERE THE COMPANY PURCHASED
AND THEN ELIMINATED IT A FEW
YEARS LATER.
YEARS LATER. >> KNOWING THAT WE WERE
WATCHING THEM AND THEN WE
BOUGHT THEM AND THEN THEY NO
LONGER EXISTED.
LONGER EXISTED. >> Reporter: IT IS PART OF A
BIGGER ANTITRUST
BIGGER ANTITRUST INVESTIGATION.
INVESTIGATION. SHE WOULD LIKE IT TO INCLUDE
OTHER ISSUES.
OTHER ISSUES. >> I THINK THAT THEY ARE GOING
UP AGAINST A MONUMENTAL TASK.
>> Reporter: TODAY IT FELT
LIKE THERE WAS FINALLY SOME
MOVEMENT.
MOVEMENT.
MOVEMENT. JUST ABOUT 15 MINUTES AGO, I
SPOKE WITH OUR LOCAL
CONGRESSMAN ABOUT THE HEARING
AND SHE SAID SHE BELIEVED THAT
THIS WAS THE FINAL STATEMENT.
THE LAST CHANCE FOR JEFF BEZOS
AND THE OTHER CEOS TO MAKE THE
CASE.
CASE.
CASE. SHE
CASE. SHE BELIEVES THAT THEY DID NOT
MAKE THE CASE IN FRONT OF
CONGRESS TODAY TO AVOID ANY