The agreements between Amazon and One Medical as well as Amazon and iRobot could take longer than expected. Indeed, the plans to take over iRobot and One Medical are subject to investigation. These surveys are carried out in order to determine the commercial and economic impact of these operations.
Indeed, according to The Wall Street Journal and Politico, the FTC, or Federal Trade Commission, is currently reviewing both acquisitions. Just a month apart, the transactions are valued at $1.7 billion, or €1,707,225,000, for the iRobot takeover and $3.9 billion, or €3,916,575,000, for that of One Medical.
FTC investigates Amazon plans
One Medical recently disclosed that the FTC was investigating its proposed merger with Amazon. Similarly, Politico had said that a review for the takeover of iRobot had been initiated by this commission. To do this, the FTC asked very detailed questions to the two firms in order to carry out its investigation.
It is important to note that this investigation could prove long and difficult for Amazon and iRobot. According to a source, Politico claimed that the review of records could be very broad. Indeed, the FTC seeks to ensure that after the validation of the agreements, Amazon is not in a dominant position and thus, create an injustice on the market. The FTC is concerned about giving Amazon more benefits than it should have.
The FTC has already prevented certain purchases from being made
The FTC could happily delay Amazon’s plan for up to a year. Amazon fears that legal proceedings will take place. Indeed, at the beginning of the year, the FTC filed a lawsuit to block the purchase of ARM for 40 million dollars, or 40,170,000 euros, by NVIDIA. The reason was the fear that there would be an abuse of a dominant position and that competition would be stifled in many markets.
But no matter what happens next, Amazon will have to hold on. Indeed, Lina Khan, the president of the FTC, is well known for criticizing companies. She mainly became famous in the legal community after an article titled “The Amazon Antitrust Paradox”.
Amazon will have to be patient before acquiring One Medical and iRobot. The FTC can take all its time to carry out its investigations, and the firm fears legal proceedings. In any case, the road will still be very long for Amazon.
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