Justice Department Steps Up Antitrust Investigation Of Top Tech Companies

Wall Street Journal:

WASHINGTON--The Justice Department is stepping up its investigation into hiring practices at some of America's biggest companies, including Google Inc., Intel Corp., International Business Machines Corp., Apple Inc. and IAC/InterActiveCorp., people familiar with the matter said.

The inquiry is focused on whether companies, particularly in the technology sector, have agreed not to recruit each others' employees in ways that violate antitrust law. Specifically, the probe is looking into whether the companies' hiring practices are costing skilled computer engineers and other workers opportunities to change jobs for higher pay or better benefits.

Read the whole story: Wall Street Journal

Comments

[BigBlues]

09:22 AM on 04/22/2010

IBM: The information services company that refuses to divulge information.

It is ironic that a company that advertises itself as an information services company and wants to build a smarter planet refuses to divulge crucial information and wants the planet kept in the dark.
But that is the case with IBM.

Take job cuts. Last year IBM cut an estimated 10,400 jobs from reporting by the displaced workers.
The true number, which is probably higher, is only known to corporate executives.
On March 1st another 2900 jobs were cut. Again, Probably higher.
IBM appears to be violating the intent of the WARN Act.
IBM has decided that it will no longer inform employees, the government, communities, the media, or stockholders how many employees work at IBM in the United States.
From now on only the global headcount number will be reported.
'
Why Is this important?
Because IBM has its hands out for US economic stimulus money and tax payer dollars for job creation in the US.

We urge our political leaders to wake up to the fact that companies like IBM are turning their back on the US; but hold their hand out for tax breaks and stimulus money.

We urge concerned citizens to call their political representatives.
Tell them IBM (and all US companies) they must divulge all US employment and job cut numbers.

If IBM is not ashamed of these numbers, why is it hiding the information? After all, it claims to be in the 'Information' business.

[Aerows]

11:00 PM on 04/12/2010

There are fifty million other things you SHOULD be investigating, but instead, you are investigating a gentleman's agreement not to poach employees among companies whose employees have to work together?

If you are good at your job, you HAVE to work with other companies in IT. That's imperative at the Networking and Security level.

[farmilyman]

05:41 PM on 04/12/2010

Tough on tech compnanies but why so weak on banks, oil, insurance, coal, etc. companies?

[sviolette]

10:07 PM on 04/12/2010

Not to mention war criminals.

[farmilyman]

10:32 PM on 04/12/2010

True........that's the biggest mystery. Treason is brushed under the carpet.

[ArkayMI]

04:27 PM on 04/12/2010

The biggest 'Anti trust' offender of all, Microsoft, is missing from the list.

[rawresolve]

10:24 AM on 04/12/2010

It's about time the Justice Department "steps up" period! Where the subpoenas for the massive amount of fraud committed by Wall Street and big banks? It would be nice to see some justice served while re-regulation is passed in congress.

[Patriot86]

10:43 AM on 04/12/2010

Why tech and not the banks?

[jsrl317]

10:08 AM on 04/12/2010

This is pure folly. Instead of investigating banks, they go after one of the few sectors who is still - albeit anemically - hiring?

Um, the financial sector is where the looking glass needs to be. Geez, this administration is almost as laughable as Bush's.

[Patriot86]

10:44 AM on 04/12/2010

They are hiring mostly overseas.

[Angel1999]

08:21 AM on 04/12/2010

The JD ought to take a page from Teddy Roosevelt and do some real trustbusting. Pick the biggest monopoly and the biggest company, (probably a bank or a media company) and do some real work. Then move on down the line to the next one. Don't go after sub-issues for monopoly/giant company number 10! The damage done by monopoly banks and monopoly media companies are far more destructive than the hiring practices at the tech firms (IMO).

[ladydragon]

07:26 AM on 04/12/2010

We have a Black President and a Black Attorney General, and Black folks have more to fear about police brutality than ever before.

[hellboundtrain]

06:56 AM on 04/12/2010

Greece of approx. 11 million people, (2008) gets thirty thousand million euros?

The payback is going to take a very long time. How much in interest?

[rickyclark]

05:29 AM on 04/12/2010

He needs to do something about the H1B1 visa scams that are keeping us from getting a job. In today’s world, doing the right things and getting an education is not enough because of the widespread corporate corruption. http://www.digitalundivide.com

[Derek Spisak]

03:05 AM on 04/12/2010

I think the real problem is that most of these companies require a non-compete agreement in order to be hired, yet do not offer pay for the "sit out" time.

[Stockbroker38]

02:39 AM on 04/12/2010

Excuse me while I do this: HAHAHAHAHA!

Yeah, go get 'em Holder. That dabnab Netscape, Webcrawler and Earthlink can't get away with this.

Why can't these companies control themselves and show a bit of respect like, say, GoldmanSachs?

[Stockbroker38]

02:35 AM on 04/12/2010

As a handsome 38-year-old stockbroker, hedge fund manager and bailout recipient, I gotta admit, I was alarmed by this headline. I thought my ripping-off-old lady-pension days were over. But then, I noticed the headline was referring to tech companies, not banks. Whew!

What's the matter DOJ, don't have what it takes to go after the real bad guys? Whew! I'm glad you don't.

Yeah, keep plugging away at Netscape, Netzero or whatever, it will give me time to ask the Fed for a few trillion.

[RoveRoveRoveYourBoat]

11:24 PM on 04/11/2010

........we have a Justice Department?

[Dorttrod]

11:58 PM on 04/11/2010

Yeah, who knew? Justice - isn't that just a concept?

Isn't America just a cartoon?

[Clearing-Brush]

10:01 AM on 04/12/2010

Really! I was beginning to this it was just a brass plate gov. agency. But not to worry, they'll go after the small fish for sure.

[themodernleader]

08:38 PM on 04/11/2010

Everyday, the competitive industries still standing are being bought up by their stronger companies and dismantled or merged with the loss of all or most of the members of the bought-out companies.
Right now I am privy to a buy out and dismantling of a small industrial producer. The company was one of half a dozen companies bought by an "Equity Group" who's original market strategy was to hire the best managers to speeed up sales and production to enrich the bottom line at the cost of long term growth or possibility, then sell all the companies at a profit after 6-8 years.
Now this company is to be sold and all the employees are to be let go because the purchaser is closing the plant down and taking over the customer base.
Laws have been put in place to permit financial interests to rape and plunder America's economic basis for existing. This is the American Predatory system in operation.
Anti trust laws are not being enforced and Obama shows no interest in taking on our growing monopolistic capitalism. We are in a disastrous condition.